Educational Corner: American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
Photo credit Carol Freeman
The American goldfinch utters a distinctive, sweet “per-chick-or-ee” or “potato-chip” call as it flies over fields and neighborhoods. Though very common, it’s always a delight to see the bright yellow male with its black cap, orange bill and black wings with white wing bars. The female is much duller, and the male loses its bright coloration in winter. The goldfinch doesn’t begin breeding until late summer when thistle down is available to build its compact cup nest in a tree or shrub. The female adds spider silk and grass, and lays four–six bluish eggs, which hatch in 12 to 14 days. Adults feed regurgitated thistle seeds to their young.
Distribution: Breeds throughout most of the nation’s midsection and into Canada; few breeding records in southern states like Texas, but common there in winter; migrates southward if food supply is scarce in winter; lives in semi-open areas with shrubs, woodland edges and suburban areas.
Kingdom: Animalia
Division: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Facts:
• In spring, males look splotchy until their plumage changes to uniform yellow.
• Both parents feed their young, but often it’s the male who takes over those duties when the young are ready to fledge.
• They readily come to feeders with thistle seed. But they also feed on seeds of native plants such as coneflowers and black-eyed Susans in fall and winter.
