AN EYE ON NATURE

RECENTLY I've had a female greenfinch at my nut feeder with large areas of white feathers on her wings. Her beak is much paler, almost white, compared with the other greenfinches.

Brendan Dunne, Salthill, Galway

She sounds like a first year bird. Finches have only a partial post juvenile moult. The large flight and tail feathers, the primary coverts, some secondary coverts and a few other feathers are kept from the fledglings stage for another year. The female bird is also paler than the male.