Gould observed 'So many instances of the Serin Finch have now been recorded in The Ibis the Zoologist and other journals, that I cannot refrain from including it among our accidental visitors... "The Serinus hortulanus," says Mr F. du Cane Godman "is found in abundance round the Azores. It frequents the cultivated lands, where it feeds upon seed crops, and is especially destructive to flax. It is often caught and tamed, and a great number are sold on board vessels which touch at the islands for provisions..."'

The illustration shows a male (above) and female on a larch branch. The female is less yellow, darker on the upper surface, and more spotted below.

DISTRIBUTION: Breeds from central Europe, Sweden, Estonia and extreme central western Russia south to north west Africa, Mediterranean, and Turkey. Winters in southern Europe, Mediterranean region and north Africa