Algeria even designates an annual day in March to honour the bird. Despite laws introduced in 2012 that classify the goldfinch as a protected species and ban its capture and sale, enforcement ...

Goldfinches are native to Western Europe and North Africa, and raising them is a cherished hobby in Algeria, where they are known locally as "maknin". The bird is considered a symbol of freedom ...

The bird is considered a symbol of freedom, and was favoured by poets and artists around the time of Algeria's war for independence in the 1950s and 60s. The country even dedicates an annual day ...