American Goldfinch

Spinus tristis

Molts black and lemon-yellow every spring like it owns the place. Strict vegetarian, even feeds its young thistle.

Population: ~42-47 million mature individuals globally (2025 IUCN/BirdLife assessment; ~44 million midpoint)
Habitat: Weedy fields, open floodplains, and overgrown areas rich in seed-producing plants (thistle, sunflower, aster); also cultivated land, orchards, roadsides, suburban parks, and gardens with shrubs/trees for nesting
Fun fact: The American Goldfinch is the only cardueline finch (and one of very few North American songbirds) to undergo a complete molt twice a year, trading its dull olive winter plumage for the male's brilliant yellow breeding colors each spring.
Range: Breeds across southern Canada (southwestern Newfoundland to British Columbia, bounded north by Saskatchewan) south through the U.S. to North Carolina, central Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and northern California; winters south through the U.S. into northern Mexico
Diet: Almost exclusively seeds — composite-flower seeds (thistle, sunflower, aster, dandelion, ragweed), grass seeds, and tree seeds (alder, birch, elm); one of the strictest vegetarians among birds, taking insects only occasionally, mainly to feed young
Size: 0.12 m
Wingspan: 0.205 m
Lifespan: 10 years

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