from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Carduelinae \Carduelinae\ 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]