American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis
The American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is a common finches, euphonias, and alli found in 5 countries, weighing about 13 g. The American goldfinch is a small North American bird in the finch family.
About the American Goldfinch
The American goldfinch is a small North American bird in the finch family. It is migratory, ranging from mid-Alberta to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canada–United States border to Mexico during the winter.
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The American goldfinch is a small finch, 11–14 cm (4.3–5.5 in) long, with a wingspan of 19–22 cm (7.5–8.7 in). It weighs between 11–20 g (0.39–0.71 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 6.5 to 7.8 cm (2.6 to 3.1 in), the tail is 4.2 to 5.1 cm (1.7 to 2.0 in), the culmen is 0.9 to 1.1 cm (0.35 to 0.43 in) and the tarsus is 1.2 to 1.4 cm (0.47 to 0.55 in). The beak is small, conical, and pink for most of the year, but turns bright orange with the spring molt in both sexes.
What the American Goldfinch sounds like
Where it lives
Recorded as a rare visitor in Belgium.
When to see it
The American Goldfinch can be seen all year round, with peak activity in May. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify an American Goldfinch?
- The American goldfinch is a small finch, 11–14 cm (4.3–5.5 in) long, with a wingspan of 19–22 cm (7.5–8.7 in). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is an American Goldfinch?
- The American Goldfinch is a tiny sized bird weighing about 13 g.
- Where can you see an American Goldfinch?
- The American Goldfinch occurs in 5 countries, including the United States, Canada, St. Pierre & Miquelon and Mexico.
- What does an American Goldfinch sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the American Goldfinch on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to an American Goldfinch?
- The American Goldfinch is most easily confused with the Lesser Goldfinch, the Pine Siskin and the Eurasian Siskin.
- Is the American Goldfinch endangered?
- The American Goldfinch is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the American Goldfinch for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
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