[5] The European goldfinch is now placed in the genus Carduelis that was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 by tautonomy based on Linnaeus's specific epithet.

[8] The English word 'goldfinch' was used in the second half of the 14th century by Geoffrey Chaucer in his unfinished The Cook's Tale: "Gaillard he was as goldfynch in the shawe (Gaily dressed he was as is a goldfinch in the woods)".

On closer inspection, male European goldfinches can often be distinguished by a larger, darker red mask that extends just behind the eye.

Goldfinches in breeding condition have a white bill, with a greyish or blackish mark at the tip for the rest of the year.

It is found in open, partially wooded lowlands and is a resident in the milder west of its range, but migrates from colder regions.

[17] It was introduced to Bermuda,[18] Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Argentina, Chile, the Falkland Islands, Uruguay, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand[19] in the 19th century, and their populations quickly increased and their range expanded greatly.

[22] The nest is neat and compact and is generally located several metres above the ground, hidden by leaves in the twigs at the end of a swaying branch.

[24] Beginning within a couple of days after the completion of the nest, the eggs are laid in early morning at daily intervals.

European goldfinches are attracted to back gardens in Europe and North America by birdfeeders containing niger (commercially described as nyjer) seed.

In Great Britain during the 19th century, many thousands of European goldfinches were trapped each year to be sold as cage birds.

[26] Wildlife conservation attempts to limit bird trapping and the destruction of the open space habitats of European goldfinches.

The European goldfinch, appearing in pictures of the Madonna and Christ child, represents the foreknowledge Jesus and Mary had of the Crucifixion.

In Barocci's Holy Family, a European goldfinch is held in the hand of John the Baptist, who holds it high out of reach of an interested cat.

Because it symbolizes the Passion, the European goldfinch is considered a "saviour" bird and may be pictured with the common housefly (which represents sin and disease).

An anonymous Italian Neapolitan poem titled Il Cardellino[31] was put to music by Saverio Mercadante and sung by Jose Carreras.

European goldfinches, with their "wanton freak" and "yellow flutterings", are among the many natural "luxuries" that delight the speaker of John Keats' poem 'I stood tip-toe upon a little hill...' (1816).

[34] A turning point in the plot occurs when the narrator, Theo, sees his mother's favourite painting, Carel Fabritius's The Goldfinch, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.