Life List 109
Visually documented
American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis
- First photographed
- July 17, 2026
- First location
- Colorado, United States
- Conservation status
- Least Concern
An evolving study
American Goldfinch portfolio
This collection grows as I return to photograph new behavior, habitat, seasons, and stages of life.
Natural history
Species at a glance
Spinus tristis
Overview
The American Goldfinch is a seed-specialist finch with buoyant flight and a musical series of calls. It nests later than most songbirds, timing reproduction with the summer abundance of thistle and other seed-bearing plants.
Identification
Breeding males are bright yellow with a black forehead, black wings, and white markings. Females are dull yellow-olive; both sexes become browner in winter but retain black wings, pale wingbars, and a small conical bill.
Range
Resident or seasonally migratory across southern Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. Northern birds move south in winter while many central populations remain year-round.
Habitat
Weedy fields, meadows, roadsides, woodland edges, floodplains, parks, and gardens with abundant seed-producing plants.
Diet
Almost entirely seeds, especially thistle, sunflower, aster, and tree seeds; occasionally consumes small insects.
Photography by Brittany Templin
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