Carduelis citrinella

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Ordo: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Euavialae
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Passeriformes
Subordo: Passeri
Infraordo: Passerida
Superfamilia: Passeroidea

Familia: Fringillidae
Subfamilia: Carduelinae
Genus: Carduelis
Species: Carduelis citrinella
Name

Carduelis citrinella (Pallas, 1764)
Synonyms

Fringilla citrinella (original combination)
Serinus citrinella

References

Pallas, in Vroeg, Cat. Raison Coll. Supér. Oiseux Adumbratiunculae: 3

BirdLife International, 2017. Carduelis citrinella. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017. IUCN Red List Category: Least Concern. DOI: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22720062A111124877.en.

Vernacular names
brezhoneg: Seran-menez
català: Llucareta
čeština: Zvonohlík citrónový
Deutsch: Zitronenzeisig
English: Citril Finch
Esperanto: Citronkardelo
español: Verderón serrano
euskara: Mendi txirriskila
suomi: Sitruunahemppo
français: Venturon montagnard
magyar: Citromcsíz
italiano: Venturone
日本語: シトロンヒワ
polski: Osetnik
português: Verdilhão-serrano
Türkçe: Alp isketesi

The citril finch (Carduelis citrinella), also known as the Alpine citril finch, is a small songbird, a member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. For a long time, this cardueline finch was placed in the genus Serinus, but it is apparently very closely related to the European goldfinch (C. carduelis).[2]

This bird is a resident breeder in the mountains of southwestern Europe from Spain to the Alps. Its northernmost breeding area is found in the Black Forest of southwestern Germany.

Taxonomy

The citril finch was formally described by the German zoologist Peter Simon Pallas in 1764 under the binomial name Fringilla citrinella.[3][4] The current genus name Carduelis is the Latin word for the European goldfinch, and the specific epithet citrinella is the Italian word for a small yellow bird. It is a diminutive of the Latin citrinus meaning citrine or light greenish-yellow.[5] The Corsican finch (Carduelis corsicana) was at one time considered as conspecific with the citril finch, but is now treated as a separate species.[6] Molecular genetic studies have shown that the citril finch is closely related to the European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis).[7]
Description and systematics

The citril finch has an overall length of 12 cm (4.7 in) and weighs around 12.5 g (0.44 oz).[8] It is greyish above, with a brown tinge to the back which also has black streaks. The underparts and the double wing bars are yellow. It shares with its relatives a bright face mask which in this species is also yellow.

Sexes are similar, although young females may be duller below, and juvenile birds – unlike in the European Serinus species – are brown, lacking any yellow or green in the plumage.

The song is a silvery twittering resembling that of the European goldfinch (C. carduelis) and that of the European serin (Serinus serinus). The main call is a tee-ee, quite similar to the Eurasian siskin (Spinus spinus).
Ecology
Carduelis citrinella MHNT

The citril finch (Carduelis citrinella) differs from the Corsican finch (C. corsicana) in habitat selection. While the mainland citril finch is rather restricted to subalpine coniferous forests and Alpine meadows, the insular Corsican finch may be found in different habitats from sea level to the highest mountain slopes. The citril finch nests mainly in conifers such as pines (Pinus) and spruces (Picea) while the Corsican finch uses also lower bushes such as tree Heath (Erica arborea), juniper (Juniperus) and bramble (Rubus).[9]

Ranging more widely than its equally common eastern relative, the citril finch is classified as a Species of Least Concern by the IUCN.[1]
References

BirdLife International (2017) [amended version of 2016 assessment]. "Carduelis citrinella". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T22720062A111124877. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22720062A111124877.en. Retrieved 3 June 2020.
Arnaiz-Villena A; Álvarez-Tejado M; Ruiz-del-Valle V; García-de-la-Torre C; Varela P; Recio MJ; Ferre S & Martínez-Laso J. (1998-99): Phylogeny and rapid Northern and Southern Hemisphere speciation of goldfinches during the Miocene and Pliocene Epochs. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 54: 1031–1041 PDF fulltext
Paynter, Raymond A. Jnr., ed. (1968). Check-list of birds of the world, Volume 14. Vol. 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 211.
Sherborn, C. Davies (1905). "The new species of birds in Vroeg's catalogue, 1764". Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 47: 332–341.
Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 91, 110. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Finches, euphonias". World Bird List Version 5.3. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
Zuccon, Dario; Prŷs-Jones, Robert; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Ericson, Per G.P. (2012). "The phylogenetic relationships and generic limits of finches (Fringillidae)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62 (2): 581–596. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.002. PMID 22023825.
Cramp & Perrins 1994, pp. 536, 547.

Förschler & Kalko (2006a), Förschler et al. (2006a,b)

Sources

Clement, Peter; Harris, Alan & Davis, John (1993): Finches and Sparrows: an identification guide. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 978-0-691-03424-9
Cramp, S.; Perrins, C.M., eds. (1994). "Serinus citrinella Citril Finch". The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 8. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 536–548. ISBN 0-19-854679-3.
Förschler, Marc Imanuel & Kalko, Elisabeth K.V. (2006a). "Breeding ecology and nest site selection in allopatric mainland Citril Finches Carduelis [citrinella] citrinella and insular Corsican Finches Carduelis [citrinella] corsicanus" (PDF). Journal of Ornithology. 147 (4): 553–564. doi:10.1007/s10336-006-0079-z. S2CID 13188864.
Förschler, Marc Imanuel & Kalko, Elisabeth K.V. (2006b). "Age-specific reproductive performance in Citril Finches Carduelis [citrinella]". Ardea. 94 (2): 275–279.
Pasquet, E. & Thibault, J.-C. (1997): Genetic differences among mainland and insular forms of the Citril Finch Serinus citrinella. Ibis 139(4): 679–684. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.1997.tb04691.x (HTML abstract)
Sangster, George (2000): Genetic distance as a test of species boundaries in the Citril Finch Serinus citrinella: a critique and taxonomic reinterpretation. Ibis 142(3): 487–490. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.2000.tb04447.x
Sangster, George; Knox, Alan G.; Helbig, Andreas J. & Parkin, David T. (2002): Taxonomic recommendations for European birds. Ibis 144(1): 153–159. doi:10.1046/j.0019-1019.2001.00026.x

Further reading
Arnaiz-Villena, A; Álvarez-Tejado, M; Ruiz-del-Valle, V; García-de-la-Torre, C; Varela, P; Recio, MJ; Ferre, S; Martínez-Laso, J (1998). "Phylogeny and rapid Northern and Southern Hemisphere speciation of goldfinches during the Miocene and Pliocene Epochs" (PDF). Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 54 (9): 1031–1041. doi:10.1007/s000180050230. PMID 9791543. S2CID 10654775.
Arnaiz-Villena A, Alvarez-Tejado M, Ruiz-del-Valle V, Garcia-de-la-Torre C, Varela P, Recio MJ, Ferre S, Martinez-Laso J. (1999): Rapid radiation of canaries (Genus Serinus). [1]
Förschler, Marc Imanuel & Kalko, Elisabeth K.V. (2007): Geographical differentiation, acoustic adaptation and species boundaries in mainland citril finches and insular Corsican finches, superspecies Carduelis [citrinella]. Journal of Biogeography 34(9). doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2007.01722.x (HTML abstract)
Förschler, Marc I.; Senar, Juan C.; Perret, Philippe & Björklund, Mats (2009). "The species status of the Corsican Finch Carduelis corsicana assessed by three genetic markers with different rates of evolution". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 52 (1): 234–240. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2009.02.014. PMID 19249374.
Förschler, Marc Imanuel; Borras, A.; Kalko, Elisabeth K.V.; Cabrera, J.; Cabrera, T.; Senar, J.C. (2006a). "Inter-locality variation in breeding phenology and nesting habitat of the Citril Finch Carduelis citrinella in the Catalonian Pre-Pyrenees". Ardeola. 53 (1): 115–126.
Förschler, Marc Imanuel; Förschler, L.; Dorka, U. (2006b). "Flowering intensity of spruces Picea abies and the population dynamics of Siskins Carduelis spinus, Common Crossbills Loxia curvirostra, and Citril Finches Carduelis citrinella" (PDF). Ornis Fennica. 83 (2): 91–96.
van den Elzen, Renate & Khoury, Fares (1999). "Systematik, phylogenetische Analyse und Biogeographie der Großgattung Serinus Koch, 1816 (Aves, Carduelidae)" [Systematics, phylogenetic analysis and biogeography of the supergenus Serinus"]. Courier Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg (in German). 215: 55–65.