American Goldfinch: how to recognise it
A bird of North America. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Chris Fisher · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Spinus tristis
- Family
- Finches, Euphonias, and Allies
- Size
- About 12 cm
- Habitat
- Weedy fields
- Found in
- North America
The key marks
The male is bright lemon-yellow with a black forehead and black wings with white bars; in winter it is dull olive-brown with black wings. Pine Siskin is streaked brown.
Voice
A bouncing 'per-chic-o-ree' in flight.
Good to know
It breeds late, in summer, when thistle seeds are ready.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Pine Siskin. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in weedy fields. It is especially common in Canada and the United States. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.