The American Goldfinch is one of our favorite backyard birds. Who doesn’t enjoy the bold yellow plumage and black forehead of the males? Their musical songs and high-pitched call bring our garden to life. Flying in flocks, they are easy to attract to our feeders, making them some of our most desirable backyard birds.
Also known as Wild Canary, the American Goldfinch only superficially looks like a Canary. It is a perching bird. A petite bird with a short bill, notched tail and short pointed wings, the American Goldfinch is one of many Finch species in North America.
Unique among the finches, American Goldfinch males undergo dramatic seasonal color changes. During the spring and summer, they are bright yellow with black foreheads, but in winter they change their old feathers to new shades of olive yellow to olive green, appearing like the female. Females also molt but their color changes are hardly noticeable.
American Goldfinches are unique in other ways as well. They nest late in the season and are known for their distinctive song, undulating flight and their nearly exclusive diet of seeds. These are a great addition to your backyard bird feeding year ‘round.
-by Gerry Sawyer
Wild Bird and Nature Store
