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American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis
Size: 5" (13 cm)
Male: A perky yellow bird with a black patch on forehead. Black tail with conspicuous white rump. Black wings with white wing bars. No marking on the chest. Dramatic change in color during winter, similar to female.
Female: dull olive yellow without a black forehead, with brown wings and white rump
Juvenile: same as female
Nest: cup; female builds; 1 brood per year
Eggs: 4-6; pale blue without markings
Incubation: 10-12 days; female incubates
Fledging: 11-17 days; female and male feed young
Migration: partial migrator, flocks of up to 20 birds move around North America
Food: seeds, insects, will come to seed feeders
Compare: Pine Siskin (pg. 81) has streaked chest and yellow wing bars. The female House Finch (pg. 83) has a heavily streaked white chest. Male Yellow Warbler (pg. 295) is all yellow with orange streaks on chest. Male Wilson’s Warbler (pg. 287) lacks black wings.
Stan’s Notes: Most often found in open fields, scrubby areas and in woodlands. Often called Wild Canary. A feeder bird that enjoys Nyjer seed. Late summer nesting, uses the silky down from wild thistle for nest. Appears roller-coaster-like in flight. Listen for it to twitter during flight. Almost always in small flocks. Moves only far enough south to find food.
