Spinus tristis
The American Goldfinch, a vibrant member of the finch family (Fringillidae), is renowned for its striking sexual dimorphism and unique life history. Males in breeding plumage are an unmistakable brilliant lemon yellow with a contrasting black cap and black wings accentuated by white wing bars and tail patches, measuring about 11-14 cm (4.3-5.5 inches) long with a wingspan of 19-22 cm (7.5-8.7 inches) and weighing 11-20 grams. Females exhibit a duller, olive-yellow coloration, and both sexes a...
American Goldfinches thrive in open, weedy fields, floodplains, cultivated lands, and suburban areas with scattered deciduous trees and shrubs, generally found at low to mid-elevations.
American Goldfinches are almost exclusively granivorous, primarily consuming a wide variety of seeds, especially those from thistles, dandelions, sunflowers, and coneflowers, which they extract from seed heads.
Diurnal in activity, American Goldfinches spend much of their day foraging and socializing, often roosting communally in dense shrubs or trees at night. Their foraging strategies are highly acrobatic; they cling upside down to seed heads of thistles, dandelions, and sunflowers, extracting seeds w...
The American Goldfinch is widely distributed across North America. Its breeding range extends from southern Canada, including regions from Alberta eastward to Newfoundland, southward through the central and northern United States, excluding the deep southeastern states. During winter, northern po...
Least Concern
- The American Goldfinch is one of the latest nesting songbirds in North America, often not starting until July or August. - Their nests are so tightly woven with spider silk and plant down that they can sometimes hold water, leading to drowning chicks during heavy rains if the nest sags. - They ...