📸 PhotoPhoto: se1 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Oriental Greenfinch
Chloris sinica (Oriental Greenfinch · カワラヒワ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its length of 14 cm is the same as one ballpoint pen (about 14 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 According to Hong Kong bird records, it lived in human-altered environments such as village edges and lowland areas near cities and fed on tree seeds, but its numbers fell sharply after 1980 and have not recovered.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Oriental greenfinch (Chloris sinica) is a small finch that in Hong Kong lives as a resident bird in lowland open country and along village edges. Its numbers have dropped sharply since 1980.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
It is 12.5–14 cm long, characterized by a pale, fairly heavy bill and a broad yellow wing patch that stands out in all plumages.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It has been recorded eating seeds of various trees, favoring pine and arborvitae seeds. Both in flight and when perched, it gives a short, high-pitched trilling call.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
It is listed on the National List of Species of Korea under the Korean name Bangulsae (Korean name), without an accompanying descriptive text.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List LC (2018) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22720340/131885929
- • IUCN Red List category LC — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • doi.org — avilist.v2026
- • iucnredlist.org — 131885929
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000528870 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000528870
- • wikidata.org — Q27075786
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Grey-capped Greenfinch, Longquanyi, Chengdu, Sichuan, C
- • avifauna.hkbws.org.hk — 055400
- • species.nibr.go.kr — mainHome.do
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Mathieu Pélissié · CC0 1.0 (Congeneric silhouette — Chloris chloris)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.