Last summer, I moved my hanging bird feeder to the middle of a flower bed, hoping to entice more birds to it. My plan worked, and eventually this female American goldfinch decided to perch on a beautiful liatris and wait her turn.
It’s hard to miss the cheerful yellow and contrasting black and white wing markings of male American goldfinches, especially when they’re crowded around your backyard bird feeder. When winter arrives, the males take on a more subtle brown to match the females. If food is plentiful, American goldfinches won’t typically migrate very far, which means their distinctive per-chick-o-ree call can be heard year-round.
Janice Perry (B&B reader) I love photographing birds, and the American goldfinch is one of my favorites. Last spring, over a dozen goldfinches were at my backyard bird feeder at one time, and I captured this brightly colored male perfectly posed as he watched the feeding frenzy.
At the Feeder
Goldfinches primarily eat seeds, which means they are big fans of bird feeders. Although goldfinches will eat most small seeds, they love thistle (Nyjer) and sunflower seeds. Keep goldfinches coming back by replacing uneaten food every three to four weeks. Make sure the seed stays dry. Most tube and mesh feeders are fine; a sock feeder
also works well.
Around the Backyard
Seeds may be their food of choice, but goldfinches also occasionally enjoy the bark of young twigs, fresh tree buds and maple sap. Western red cedar, elm, birch and alder trees will encourage more goldfinches to stop by for lunch. In summer, goldfinches add a few small insects to their diets, but seeds remain at the top of the menu.
In the Garden
A few favorites include asters, coneflowers, sunflowers and, of course, thistles. Goldfinches need plants for more than seeds: Milkweeds, cattails and dandelions provide fluffy nest-building material. One plant to avoid, however, is burdock, which has multiple burrs that can entangle the small birds.
sanford isom says
i applied for my gift for survey. It yet saying bad resquet
Kaitlin Stainbrook says
Hi Sanford,
I’m sorry that happened! Please email our Customer Care team at: [email protected] and they will look into this for you.
Best wishes,
Kaitlin (associate editor)
sanford isom says
what happen to my gift
Pati Burns says
Put my oriole jelly feeder out about 2 weeks ago! Hurrah 2 showed up yesterday! So thrilled! One again so far this rainy morning. Couldn’t be more thrilled!
barb maki says
I live in Mount Vernon, In ? More by Ohio River.
An were close to the city of ? Evansville, In
I had goldfinch once in awhile.
Marty McDaid says
My Orioles have moved on, but the red
Finches are landing & eating the jelly. Is this unusual for finches?
Pat Nielsen says
Mine do too, so it must be a common thing as I have even seen them peck at the oranges also and speaking of oranges, last summer one was on the ground and a Robin was showing it’s young one (the teenager) how to eat it! That I never knew!
Marilyn says
I have goldfinch feeders which they love. But how do I keep the sparrows and housefinch out? They’re bullying the goldfinches.
Pat Nielsen says
My Goldfinchs love the thistle in the bag, the other ones do not eat that but they will eat the special Goldfinch mix if that’s what you’re using.
Kena Freeman says
When it’s really hot (Oklahoma heat) we add ice and ice cold water to their water supplies, The goldfinches love it, and every night when the sun is going down they came up and wash their faces in it. So much fun to watch.
Helen L Barth says
Do you reccomend a bird feeder or the hanging sock ?
I haven’t seen any finches and thought that might be scaring them?
Help!
Helen