Öamerican goldfinch(draw cards) - or simplyGoldfinken– are immigrant North AmericansFinkenFound in most of North America - from southern Canada to the United States to Mexico.
These birds are known by a variety of names (sometimes reflecting their physical characteristics, ranges, or foraging habitats), such as:
- Wild Canary, Yellow Blackwinged Bird, Yellow Goldfinch, Pale Goldfinch
- Salatvogel, Distelvogel
- Northwest goldfinch, California goldfinch, eastern or western goldfinch
Colorful and active, goldfinches are very popular backyard birds that easily benefit from garden birdhouses.
Sometimes they congratulate in large numbers around the feeding places. In fact, easy access to food provided by humans has proven beneficial for these birds as these feeders increase their survival rate in times of scarce natural resources. These acrobatic birds are often seen hanging upside down from seed pods.
This finch was namedofficiallystate birdfrom Iowa, New Jersey and Washington.
distribution/habitat
Its natural range extends from southern Canada (Saskatchewan, Quebec, and southwest Newfoundland) across the southern United States to southern North Carolina on the east coast and northern California on the west coast.
Northern populations migrate south for the winter—through Florida, along the Gulf Coast, east to California, and south to Mexico. They migrate in compact flocks.
They are associated with open habitats such as fields, meadows, floodplains and orchards, but are also widespread in urban gardens where they are attracted to bird feeders.
Subspecies and distribution areas:
There are four recognized subspecies of the American goldfinch:
- American Goldfinch(Carduelis traurig traurig– Linnaeus, 1758) – the named and most common breed
- Summer assortment:From southern Canada to Colorado and east to the Carolinas in the United States.
- Wintersortiment:South-southern and southeastern United States (Northeast Texas, east-north South Carolina, and southern Florida) and east-central Mexico.
- American goldfinch pale, pale goldfinch, western goldfinch(Carduelis traurig blass / blass– Mearns, 1890)
- Summer assortment:South-central British Columbia east to west Ontario in Canada, south to northwest Colorado and west Oregon in the United States.
- Wintersortiment:It extends south from southern Canada and northern California to north-central Mexico (Puebla and Veracruz).
- I WALKED:Pale body colour. Heavier white markings. Males have larger black caps.
- Goldfinch from the American Northwest(Carduelis tristis Jewetti - van Rossem, 1943)
- Area:Occurs on the coastal slopes of the Cascade Mountains from southern British Columbia to southwestern Oregon (west of the Cascades) and central California, where its range coincides with that of ssp.blass.
- I WALKED:Plumage smaller and darker.
- Weide Stieglitz(Carduelis sad willows– Grinell, 1897)
- Summer assortment:Southwest USA - West of the Sierra Nevada in California.
- Wintersortiment:Southern and central Baja California, east of the Mohave and Colorado deserts and south of Mexico (northwest of Baja California).
- I WALKED:Breeding males have smaller black caps than other subspecies. In winter, both sexes have more brownish plumage than other breeds.
Description
Size / Areas
- Weight:0.39 - 0.71 ounces (11 to 20 g)
- Long:4.33 to 5.12 inches (11 to 13 cm)
- Span:7.5 to 8.7 inches (19 to 22 cm)
Plumage Details / Adult
These finches molt (plumage) in the spring, when they reach breeding plumage, and in the fall, when they switch to winter plumage.
breeding male(summer and spring plumage):
- Bright yellow plumage except...
- glossy black forehead
- Shiny black wings with white markings
- White patches above and below the tail
breeding females:
- Olive brown upper plumage
- The plumage below is pale olive yellow.
- Wings dull brownish black
winter adults:
- Dull brown plumage without stripes
- Blackened wings with two light wingbars
Other physical details
- smaller fin
- Short, conical beak, flesh colored most of the year but turning bright orange early in the breeding season (in both adults)
- long wings
- Short and notched tail
- Trajectory: Usually flies in a slight wave-like trajectory when ascending and descending
youth description
- The back is matte brown
- light yellow below
- Shoulders and tail are dull black with yellow markings on wings and rump (white in adults)
Similar species
Similar species- Lawrences Paintsilks: Yellow (not white) sidebars
- nocturnal hawfinch: Twice the size of a goldfinch. Large spots on the wings instead of bars on the wings. Bigger beak.
- Stieglitz: Brown stripes on the back and chest. Bill thinner. Yellow markings are restricted to small regions of the wing.
- FeminineKleinereLawrences Paintsilks: Tails with dark tips
- small pintailare yellow under the tail (not white)
- Some species of warblers (such asyellow warbler) have yellow plumage but rarely frequent bird feeders and have thinner beaks.
Diet food
American goldfinches feed primarily on the seeds of various plants, including safflower, safflower, dandelion, ragweed, mullein, cosmos, goatee, sunflower, and alder.
They also take grains, nuts, tree buds, maple sap, and berries.
They visit backyard birdhouses easily - especially in winter when food sources are scarce.
They also occasionally feed on animal foods such as insects - especially when raising young, as extra protein is needed to support their rapid growth.
breeding / nesting
brooding seasone:Most nesting activity occurs between late June and September, when their main food source - seeds - is most plentiful.
Mating/courtship system:These finches are generally seasonally monogamous, although females may mate with more than one mate.
In winter, in addition to their flight displays, males display their colorful physical details (plumage and beak) to attract potential females. This means that females will be chased and the female will zigzag away from the male. Once a male is accepted as a female, the pair will fly in wide circles.
nesting
Nesting takes place in loose colonies that may comprise two or three pairs - presumably to defend against predators.
Once the eggs are laid, the aggression usually goes away.
The tightly woven nestMade from twigs, bark, weeds, vines and grasses, it is reinforced with cobwebs and caterpillar silk and lined with soft plant material. The inside dimensions of an average nest are about 6.5 cm.
Nests are placed on the branches of trees and bushes about 100 cm to 10 meters above the ground.
clutch size:2 to 7 eggs per clutch - the average is 5. Peanut-sized eggs are bluish-white and measure about 6 x 0.45 inches (16 x 12 mm). In most cases a clutch is produced in one season. If nests have been lost or the season has started early and ended successfully at a time when temperatures are still in a good range and food supply is still adequate, another clutch (rarely up to two) may be produced.
Incubation period:12 – 15 days – is performed only by the female while the male brings food to the nest for the female to incubate.
Cubs:Blind, naked (except for a small light green fuzz) with reddish skin. At this stage they are completely helpless, weighing only 0.04 ounces or 1 g on average.
Puppy care:Initially, the male will be the primary caretaker of the chicks as the female will leave the nest for extended periods to feed and protect the nesting area. Although the female returns to the nest to feed the chicks.
Novato:The young leave the nest at around 11 to 17 days of age and are independent at around 6 weeks of age.
Occasionally, goldfinch nests may fall preybrood parasites, in particularbrown-headed cowbirds, which lay their eggs in other birds' nests for them to raise. One study found that about 9% of all goldfinch nests contained brown-headed cowbird eggs. However, the survivability of cowbird chicks is low - which is attributed to their different nutritional needs.
Calls / sounds / noises
Contact calls:"tsee-tsi-tsi-tsit" (often given in flight) or "French fries" or "per-chic-o-ree„
Lieder:described as a "wandering," "trilling," or "chirping" musical.
youth appeal: chickorchick- Often used just before feathering
defense calls: Asweetcall (to gather other goldfinches to the nest); It isbeeto signal the puppies to be quiet and to crouch.
Alternate Names (Global)
Chinese:?????, ?????? …Czech:yellow warbler, American goldfinch...Danish:The golden brother...Delaware:Explain.Finnish:American…French:Goldfinch, golden goldfinch, sad goldfinch...Deutsch:American Goldfinch, Black Goldfinch...Irish:Flame of the American Forest...Hungarian:I like gold...Italian:American Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Golden Goldfinch…Japanese:ougonhiwa…Lithuanian:Americano-Bass…Dutch:Goudsijs, Treursijs...Norwegian:Gulstillits…Polishing:If? Black face or golden head right? golden…Portuguese:American Goldfinch…Russo:???????????? ??? …Slovak:Stieglitz...Spanish:American Dominico, Canarian Dominiquito, American Goldfinch, Canary Goldfinch, Yankee Goldfinch…Swedish:Goldilocks…Tower:say America?
lifespan
- Average lifespan in nature:up to 11 years
- The oldest known goldfinchI was 10 years and 5 months old
- Typical durabilityin the wild: 3 to 6 years
- Males tend to outlive females
Other web resources
- European goldfinchfor goldfinches found in Europe
- captivatingStory of a personal encounter with a pair of American Goldfinches- a grieving man and a recently deceased woman, as told by Brian Dupuis