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Male and female American Goldfinches |
Together the
American Goldfinch and their relatives the
Lesser Goldfinch and
Lawrence's Goldfinch, form a group of goldfinches
in America.
Goldfinches can be found throughout most of North America. In Michigan
we are lucky enough to have the American Goldfinches year round in our area. These
bright yellow and black birds have the largest range and can be found in most areas
of the United States and the
southern regions of Canada.
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The other two goldfinches in the U.S. are found
more in the southwest. The Lesser Goldfinch lives in the larger portion of the
western States and Mexico
and the Lawrence's Goldfinch breeds in California and Baja California
and winters in the southwestern United States
and northern Mexico.
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Lesser Goldfinch male |
Fun Facts on
Goldfinches:
- Due to their almost exclusive diet of seeds, the goldfinches
drink frequently and will stay close to reliable sources of water during dry
periods.
- Unlike many birds, goldfinches molt their body feathers
twice a year, in the spring before breeding and after nesting in the fall.
- Goldfinches are sometimes referred to as wild canaries, but are actually in the finch family as their name suggests.
- The genus name, Caruelis, is from the Latin word carduus,
which means “thistle.”
- Goldfinches are vegetarians and are dependent on flower
seeds for food and even use plant down to line their nests.
- Young goldfinches are dependent on their parents for at
least three weeks after fledging. Be sure to watch and listen for their
energetic begging as they harass their parents for food at your feeders.
- Male Lesser Goldfinches in the eastern part of their range
in the U.S.
tend to have black backs. Along the West Coast, their backs are green, with
only a black cap. Elsewhere, the amount of black varies, with many birds having
partly green backs. South of central Mexico, all of the males are
black-backed.
- The Lesser Goldfinch is the smallest of the North American
goldfinches at 4.5″ compared with the slightly larger Lawrence’s and the
American Goldfinch at 5″.
- Lawrence's Goldfinch was
named by John Cassin in 1850 for his colleague George Lawrence, a New York businessman and
ornithologist.
- Unlike most migratory birds, Lawrence's Goldfinch moves mostly to the east
and west, rather than northward and southward, between seasons.
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