American Goldfinch
Spinus tristus
Photo by Miles Moody - Pixabay
Summary
The American Goldfinch is found throughout much of the U.S. and is well-known to many birders as a frequent visitor to backyards and bird feeders. They are often found in small flocks and can be recognized by their bouncing flight pattern and a flight call that sounds like an exclamation of, “Potato chip!” They are notable for nesting later than many other species – peak nesting season in PA is July and August – and for feeding their young regurgitated seeds instead of insects, as most songbirds do. American Goldfinches are common but have declined across much of their breeding range over the past few decades.
Learn more American goldfinches here.
More Details
FAMILY
Fringillidae (Finches)
IDENTIFICATION
The breeding male is unmistakable with a brilliant yellow body, black forehead, and black wings with white wingbars. Females are a duller brownish-yellow with dark wings and pale wingbars. In the non-breeding season, males and females alike show drabber coloration than in the breeding season.
HABITAT
Open areas like overgrown fields, meadows, roadsides, and gardens, as well as open woodlands and second-growth forest
DIET
Primarily granivorous (seed-eaters) but they also eat some insects
Ecosystem Connections
American Goldfinches are found year-round in Pennsylvania. The SBG, with open brushy areas and many seed-producing plants, provides food, cover, and nesting sites for American Goldfinches. Some of the plants in or near the SBG that they feed upon include sunflowers, cup plant, asters, thistles, dandelions, and trees in the elm, birch, and alder families.
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