American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
Description: The American Goldfinch is approximately 5 inches in size. In the summer, males are bright yellow with black tails, wings, and foreheads. Females are a duller yellow color, with black wings and very clear wing bars. In the winter, males and females look the same and resemble a summer female, only they are grayer.
Habitat: Goldfinches live near thistles and dandelions in lawns or open woods. They may also live in birdhouses stocked with thistle seeds.
Diet: Goldfinches mainly eat seeds, especially thistle, grasses, and certain trees. At a feeder, they will often eat nyjer and sunflower seeds.
Behaviors:
Miscellaneous:
Habitat: Goldfinches live near thistles and dandelions in lawns or open woods. They may also live in birdhouses stocked with thistle seeds.
Diet: Goldfinches mainly eat seeds, especially thistle, grasses, and certain trees. At a feeder, they will often eat nyjer and sunflower seeds.
Behaviors:
- Goldfinches are highly active and acrobatic
- Goldfinches are attracted to bird feeders and large numbers of them may stay near one
- Goldfinches often call and sing while in flight, which draws attention to them
- Goldfinches calls are often written as per-chick-o-ree or ti-di-di-di
- Nests are woven from plant fibers bound so tightly together that they can hold water
- Males perform special flights to attract females’ attention during breeding season, with the most common being the Butterfly Flight (slow, steady wing beats) and the Moth Flight (rapid wing beats used to hover).
- Most American Goldfish live in the north and middle bands of the United States year-round. Some migrate to Southern Canada in the spring and to the southern band of the United States in the winter.
Miscellaneous:
- The American Goldfinch is the state bird of three states: Washington, Iowa, and New Jersey