Today, I’m sharing backyard bird tips on facts about American Goldfinch. I fell in love with these beautiful birds years ago. They visited my garden one year to devour my sunflower seeds, and I became
fascinated by their beauty. They are now one of my favorite backyard birds. The male sports feathers that are a beautiful shade of yellow and black. They are unmistakable, and they have a unique flying pattern. It consists of an up and down motion.
Facts About American Goldfinch:
- First, American Goldfinch males have bright yellow feathers that are absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, they turn a dull yellow/olive color in the fall. The color change is called molting. In the spring, they will “color up”.
- Goldfinch are strictly vegetarian, and only eat seeds.
- American Goldfinch have an up and down flight pattern.
- Next, Goldfinch are called wild canaries. Also, they are relatives to finches.
- Their call sound like “po-ta-to-chip”.
- Furthermore, Goldfinches breed in June or July. Since they only eat seeds, they wait until the thistle, milkweed and other seed plants have produced. They feed seed to their young.
- The American Goldfinch is the state bird of New Jersey, Iowa and Washington.
- Surprisingly, the oldest known American Goldfinch was 10 years 5 months old. Their lifespan is normally 3 – 6 years.
- Also, males and females choose a suitable nest site together.
- Goldfinch nests are shaped like cups.
- The Clutch size is usually 2 – 7 eggs.
- So, females may have 2 broods yearly.
- The eggs are a pale blue or a bluish green color. The eggs usually hatch within 12 days.
- Additionally, nestlings will fledge about 12 days after hatching. Mom will coax them out of the nest.
- Once they take flight, they will still be dependent on their parents for another 3 – 4 weeks after leaving the nest.
- Furthermore, if a female has an additional brood in a year, she will leave her original mate with the first brood. She will find a new partner for the second nesting.
- So, my sunflowers attracts American Goldfinch to my garden in the summer. They cleaned off every sunflower seed on the plants. Plant a few sunflowers, and enjoy these beauties next summer.
Finally, birdwatching is a great activity for kids. I hope you enjoyed my facts about American Goldfinch and will get involved in nature too. Most importantly, birdwatching isn’t just for small kids. Big kids love it too. Check out my other posts on attracting backyard birds. You may also like 10 Beautiful Sunflower Varieties.
