Bohemian Goldfinch - Origin, Characteristics, Habits & Behavior

Bohemian Goldfinch, a wild bird famous for its velvety grey plumage and distinctive waxy wings, should not be kept as a pet.

The Bohemian Goldfinch , also known as the Bohemian waxwing, Bombycilla garrulus, is one of the most beautiful wild birds in the Northern Hemisphere. It stands out with its velvety plumage, erect crest, and waxy wings with unique red, yellow, and black streaks.

In today's article, let's learn in detail about the origin, morphological characteristics and habits of the Bohemian goldfinch to know why this nicebirds is not recommended for keeping as a pet.

Bohemian Goldfinch Information :

Origin & distribution of Bohemian Goldfinch

Learn about the pre-Bohemian origins of the Goldfinch.

The Bohemian Waxwing, also known as the Bohemian Waxwing, is scientifically known as Bombycilla garrulus. It is one of only three extant species in the Bombycillidae family. It is native to the Taiga forests of Northern Europe and Asia, especially Siberia, where it breeds mainly in coniferous forests. It is also found in northern Canada, Alaska and the North American continent.

Physical characteristics of the Bohemian Goldfinch

The striking color combination of a Bohemian Goldfinch.

Let's take a closer look at the morphological characteristics of the Bohemian Waxwing to see how they differ from other goldfinches.

Size :

• Body length: 19 - 23 cm
• Wingspan: 32 - 36 cm
• Weight: 45 - 65 grams

Overall shape :

• Round, plump and firm body
• Big head, short forehead, thick neck
• Has a crest erected on the back of the head - identifying feature
• Short, conical, black beak
• Black, small, strong legs
• When flying it looks like a starling, with long wings, short tail and a diving flight style.

Fur and color :

• The whole body is ash gray brown, smooth as velvet.
• Head and nape are light brown with pink tinge.
• Face has black streaks that look like a mask
• The neck and chest are smooth ash gray, the back and belly turn light gray.
• The short tail has a bright yellow and black border that is very eye-catching.
• The wing feathers have a jet black background, the secondary feathers have bright red spots that shine like wax - why they are called "waxwings", the primary feathers have patterns that form yellow, brown and white stripes when the bird closes its wings.

Distinguishing between male and female birds :

• Difficult to distinguish because of similar appearance.
• Adult birds have a wider yellow tail band than females, a distinct black throat band, and a greater number of red wax spots on the wingtips.
• Juveniles have paler plumage, white stripes on the underbelly, no black mask, and no black throat stripe.

Bohemian Goldfinch Behavior and Habits

Bohemian goldfinches feeding on fermented berries of the Rowan tree.

Bohemian goldfinches are not only visually striking, but they also have many interesting and completely different habits and behaviors compared to many other birds of the same family. Specifically as follows:

Is a seasonal migratory bird

The Bohemian Golden Goose is a seasonal migrant, usually starting in September in northern regions and around October in southern regions, depending on its habitat, as follows:

• Bohemian Waxwing in Eurasia: Migrates from eastern England through northern Western Europe, Central Europe to northern China, Japan and Ukraine to avoid the cold.
• Bohemian Waxwing North America: Migrates southeast, wintering in Canada and the northeastern, north-central United States.

Live in the herd

Bohemian Waxwings are gregarious birds, they can live together all year round, especially in winter they can gather in large flocks of hundreds to thousands.

They forage together, fly together, perch together and rest together, creating an extremely impressive scene.

Love to eat berries

Bohemian gorse loves to eat juicy berries such as rowan, wild apple, forest apple, thorn plum,... During the breeding season, they can eat more insects to supplement protein.

One thing that is special is that Bohemian Waxwings love to eat berries and fermented fruits - this can make them drunk if they eat too much.

Reproductive behavior

Let's learn in detail about the habits and reproductive behavior of the Bohemian gorse to better understand this bird species.

• Breeding season usually takes place from May to July.
• Monogamy - one male and one female pair
• Male birds court females by raising their crests, standing erect, turning to face the female, and often even placing small gifts such as berries directly into the female's mouth.
• They will build cup-shaped nests of dry branches, lined with moss, soft storks or fur on coniferous branches at a height of 1.3 - 15 m above the ground.
• Each clutch of female birds lays 3 - 7 eggs, then they will incubate them alone for about 13 - 14 days, the male bird is responsible for finding and feeding berries to the female bird.
• At hatching stage, the chicks are featherless and eat only insects, then switch to eating fruit.

Behavior & flight

Bohemian magpies are fast, powerful fliers, similar to starlings. When taking off or swooping down in flocks, they often make a very distinctive “clacking” sound.

This species of bird is mainly active on branches, they often jump from branch to branch to find food. They rarely come down to the ground because their gait is quite waddling and not agile.

Audio communication

The Bohemian Garrulus has a very distinctive call, a high-pitched “sirrr” sound. In different situations, this bird will have many different calls and melodies. Although their scientific name is “garrlus” which means “talkative”, in reality this bird is quite quiet.

Should I keep Bohemian Goldfinch as a pet?

The Bohemian Golden Bird is a wild bird.

Although the Bohemian Waxwing is a beautiful and distinctive bird, it is not recommended to keep it as a pet due to ethical and legal issues. Specifically:

• Not suitable for captivity: Bohemian Golden Retrievers are wild birds, needing large spaces and a year-round diet of fresh forest fruits, which is difficult to meet in captivity.
• As a migratory bird, difficult to domesticate: Bohemian Waxwings are by nature seasonal migratory birds and live in flocks, so they are very difficult to domesticate.
• Violating wildlife protection laws in some countries: Currently, in many European and American countries and Vietnam, capturing and keeping wild animals is a violation of the law.

Interesting facts about the Bohemian Goldfinch

Below are some interesting facts about the Bohemian Goldfinch, please join us to learn more.

• Bohemian goldenrods will never return to their old wintering grounds in subsequent years.
• In winter, this bird becomes bolder, often flying into residential areas to forage.
• The red “sealing wax” on the Bohemian Goldenfinch's wings is actually modified tail feathers containing the pigment astaxanthin, a rare pigment in birds.
• During migration, Bohemian birds can fly thousands of kilometers to winter.
• In winter, Bohemin magpies often get “drunk” from eating too many fermented rowan berries, mistletoe, and wild apples, which can cause them to get drunk, lose control, and even get alcohol poisoning. People even have to “detox” these birds to ensure their health and longevity.
• A Bohemian goldfinch can eat hundreds of berries a day, two to three times its body weight.

Beautiful Bohemian Goldfinch Pictures

Bohemian Waxwings do not appear naturally in Vietnam, so below we have collected many beautiful, impressive and authentic moments of Bohemian Waxwings for you to enjoy.

A Bohemian Goldfinch eating berries.

A flock of Bohemian Waxwings are gathering together.

Image of Bohemian Phoenix flying in the sky.

Image of Bohemian Waxwing bird incubating eggs in nest.

Image of a Bohemian Waxwing perched on a cluster of berries.

A chubby Bohemian Goldfinch.

The beautiful and very distinctive appearance of a Bohemian Goldfinch.

Above, nicebirds.net has shared detailed information about the Bohemian waxwing, hoping that you have a better understanding of this special waxwing bird from Northern Europe and Asia. Although they are a wild bird and not suitable for keeping as pets, they still receive the attention of bird lovers thanks to their unique appearance and many interesting habits and behaviors.

Goodbye and see you soon in the next articles of the Blog section to learn more about other beautiful and rare wild and ornamental birds.