any of several small greenish birds, with yellow in the wings and tail, of the genus Carduelis (some formerly in Chloris), belonging to the songbird family Carduelidae (q.v.). Greenfinches are sociable seedeaters that have trilling and twittering calls. They usually nest in evergreens. The 14-centimetre (5.5-inch) European greenfinch (C. chloris) has been introduced into Australia. The Chinese, or Oriental, greenfinch (C. sinica) of eastern Asia is a dooryard bird in Japan.