n. a subfamily of birds consisting of the old world finches, many of which have taken up residence in the Americas; -- it is a subgroup of finches used in some classifications, in which the Fringillidae are divided into two subfamilies, the Carduelinae (including the goldfinches, siskins, redpolls, crossbills, and linnets) and Fringillinae (the brambling and the chaffinches). The siskins and goldfinches have migrated as far south as the southern end of South America. T. M. Shortt.
Syn. -- subfamily Carduelinae. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]