Goldfinch  (Carduelis carduelis)

This species is not threatened at the present time. The numbers of goldfinches in the UK dropped markedly between the 1970s and 1980s. This is thought to have been caused either by a decline in weed seeds as a result of agricultural intensification, or by increased hunting in the wintering range of the population (4). In the past this species was trapped and kept as a cage bird; in the mid-nineteenth century around 130,000 birds were trapped each year around Worthing, which is on a major migration route. One of the first tasks of the RSPB when it set up in 1904 was to protect this species. Trapping is now completely illegal (7).

Conservation action has not been targeted at this common species.