Every month, museum visitors choose the exhibit they liked the most. What they singled out for February was the European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis).

This small passerine bird in the finch family, simply known as the goldfinch, is native to Europe, North Africa, western and central Asia. It is distinguished by the red color on its face, with yellow and black accents on the wings. In males the colors are more vibrant, while in females they are more faded. They are very affectionate birds with each other and with their young. It feeds mainly on worms and thorn seeds, and its favorite food is thistles. Due to its distinctive appearance and pleasant twitter, the cardinal played a symbolic role in many Renaissance paintings, in which it was often depicted near the Virgin Mary and Christ. A major threat to the species, even today, is illegal trapping. 

4/3/2025