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AMERICAN
GOLDFINCH
Of all the birds that show up at our feeders in
summer, the Goldfinch is our favorite. Also known as the wild canary,
this is the state bird of New Jersey. Many people are convinced that
the Goldfinch migrates to the south in the winter and returns in the
spring. This is not true. The Goldfinch merely changes color. During the summer the male Goldfinch is easy to identify.
He is brilliant yellow and sports a black cap and black wings
with a white stripe and a deeply notched tail. In the fall he will
change completely; losing the yellow and black and assuming the
females’ olive coloration. Only
his tail notch and wing bars will identify him.
If the winter is very severe he may move slightly south while
his northern relatives take up residency in our area, therefore we are
never without this tiny seed eating bird’s company.
Watching the undulating flash of male Goldfinches
chasing each other is one of my greatest summer pleasures.
They whirl and dive with such speed that it appears they are
just having fun rather than establishing breeding territories.
Their territorial dances are even more special since they occur
when most other birds are busy with more mundane tasks such as raising
their second or third batch of young.
Goldfinch breed much later than most other birds.
They do not have to rush since they are not going to migrate in
the fall. This lack of
time pressure allows them to wait until there is ample natural food to
feed their young. They
also like to use the down from the late blooming thistle plants to
line their nests. Goldfinches
seldom have more than one batch of young per year as that is all their
late starting date will allow. Feeding
Goldfinch in the summer gives them a reliable food source for their
fledglings and may result in the production of a second brood.
Goldfinch are heavily parasitized by Cowbirds.
It is heartbreaking to see these small birds trying to feed
babies twice their size.
Goldfinch eagerly come to feeders filled with oil
sunflower seeds or with thistle (Niger) seed.
If House Finches mob the more timid Goldfinch put up an upside
down feeder. The
Goldfinch possesses the unique ability to feed upside down while the
House Finch does not. When
you want to add variety to the Goldfinches’ diet, try substituting
Finch Mix for Niger seed. This
mix contains Niger seed, small sunflower pieces, Millet, Canola Seed,
and Canary Seed. The
Finch mixes are all fine enough to be fed in standard Niger Seed
feeders. If you leave
seed heads on the Goldfinches’ favorite flowers such as; Coneflower,
Zinnia, Cosmos and Black- Eyed Susan; they will thrash them for seeds
all winter long. If the
untidy appearance bothers you, cut them leaving a long stem, bunch
them and tie them to your feeders.
Either way the Goldfinch will thank you.
I think we like feeding Goldfinch because their fall
color change matches our feelings about the coming bleakness of winter
while their spring plumage brightens with our anticipation of the
coming warm season. These
changes remind us of the rhythm of the cycle of life. |
