Saluting the tiny goldfinch, immortalised by Vivaldi, Fabritius and others... For Sunday Miscellany on RTÉ Radio 1, listen to Il Gardellino, by Zoë Devlin above.
He sits outside my window, small, neat and feisty with a scarlet face. Legend has it that one of his forebears tried to remove the crown of thorns from the head of Jesus but, in doing so, a sharp spine pierced its beak, forever staining the little bird's face.
His plumage is brightly coloured elsewhere too, with vivid yellow bars along his wings, a suggestion of a tawny brown waistcoat and wingtips...
Listen to more from Sunday Miscellany here
