Goldfinches Are a Pretty Bird at Your Backyard Feeders.
The American Goldfinches are one of the most common birds at your backyard feeders because they are so prevalent through out much of the United States.
These birds are part of the finch family which is very large family indeed. Besides a variety of finches, this family also includes such birds as buntings, cardinals and sparrows to name a few.
They can be found through out much of the United States most or all of the year. Probably the one big reason for this is they have the ability to adapt to a variety of habitats.
We enjoy these birds as well and they are a bird that we can still watch now that we are living in Montana.
This particular bird actually molts twice a year. Once in the spring and once in the fall. After the spring molt the male gets a vibrant yellow color however after the molt in the fall they turn a bit of an olive color making them look much like the female does.
These are generally a social bird and at the finch feeders they will usually eat contently together.
Goldfinches prefer to be in open country where weeds thrive. Fields, meadows, orchards and even gardens are great for attracting goldfinches. Because of this these birds have benefited and thrived by human activity.
These birds are a monogamous bunch producing one brood per year and their breeding season begins in July.
As I said earlier they are a very social bird. They travel in flocks and generally get along well. Also, they tend to not be aggressive except while they are making their nests. They won't even act aggressive towards their predators.
Fun Fact: When they make their nest it is woven so tightly it can actually hold water.
They make very intricate nests out of thistle or grass shoots and even animal hair. Their nests are generally placed between strong weed stacks or thick saplings, they are well hidden and built to last. The best time to find them is after all the leaves have fallen off the trees.
These are not a bird you would buy a bird house for. They generally won't use them.
Feeding Them
As far as finch food goes, goldfinches do like natural foods like thistle, teasel, dandelion and ragweed. They also like millet which is a smaller seed and actually some people will even plant sunflowers in their gardens to attract them. These birds will occasionally eat insects and they will feed them to their young for protein, but seeds do rule the day most of the time. When you think of finch food Nyger seed and sunflower seed work all the time for attracting these birds. They do love these two seeds. The best feeders for these birds are the tube feeders. Especially ones with either a cage type design or many perches because they will eat upside down. Just make sure the holes are small enough for the Nyger seed. Hopper feeders will work as well since those feeders are best suited for the sunflower seeds. Hopefully you found our information help and please feel free to look around our site for information on other birds as well.
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