On a snowy winter morning, small spots of gold are moving among the tall, dry stalks of the prairie. As I watch, a flock of light-colored birds takes off, moving up and over the hill to the neighbor’s meadow. The birds undulate, appearing to ride a roller coaster as they fly. From the buoyant, dancing pattern, I know they must be American Goldfinches.
American goldfinch launching into flight in the prairie in autumn (photo by Gary Shackelford).
The flock left the feeders with black oil sunflower and thistle seeds near the house to enjoy their preferred feast of native seeds—compass plant, rosinweed, yellow coneflower, and pale purple coneflower. Studies have shown that the most important food source for American Goldfinches is seeds in the Asteraceae family (formerly Compositae). This large group of plants includes the species noted above as well as thistles, asters, and goldenrods. Goldfinches also eat tree seeds from alder, birch, white cedar, and elms.
American Goldfinch feeding on compass-plant in February (photo by Gary Shackelford).
To really enjoy American Goldfinches, do some “slow birding” and watch them feed. They approach the target plants with a hovering flight and land on the stem. They then move along the stem and branches to the seed head where they perform some acrobatic feats, including hanging upside down to pull off the seed.
During the fall molt, the bright yellow breeding plumage of the male goldfinch fades into the nonbreeding khaki-brown plumage. The birds lose their black crowns but keep their yellow throats and jet-black flight feathers on their wings. Year round, the females are paler yellow with brownish-black wings and no black cap. Both males and females have prominent wing bars, conical beaks, and notched tails.
American Goldfinches are common Wisconsin residents, nesting in prairies, grassy fields, and open weedy areas. The populations shift south in the winter. Many of our nesting goldfinches move south, but some stay and are joined by goldfinches from northern Wisconsin and Canada. In winter, they are found widely throughout the southern part of the state, moving in flocks that range in size from a dozen up to hundreds. I have often wondered why we may see 20 birds in the prairies for a few days and then none the next week. Studies of banded goldfinches have documented that they forage throughout a region with daytime movements of up to four miles as the flock searches for patches of seeds in prairies and weedy fields or at feeders.
Although American Goldfinches are common, their population has declined in some areas where they face threats from domestic cats and “clean” farming (eradication of weeds). Homeowners can help these beautiful birds by planting some of their favorite foods—coneflowers, asters, swamp thistle, compass plant, goldenrods, and rosinweed. Just be sure to leave the stalks and seedheads over the winter.
Written by Penny Shackelford, Fair Meadows Sanctuary resident manager
Cover image by Gary Shackelford. American Goldfinch feeding on seeds of rigid goldenrod in autumn.
