We had an American Goldfinch visit our thistle/nyjer feeder! Yes, I know that American Goldfinches visit thistle bird feeders throughout the U.S., but they are uncommon in our area. Our bird feeders usually are visited by the Lesser Goldfinch.
Tomorrow we participate in the Portal Christmas Bird Count. We will post the results when we get them.
Hello,
You stated that American Goldfinches are found throughout the United States. I live in southern California and get large quanitites of Lesser Goldfinches. Could I get American Goldfinches here, and if that is possible what marks would distinguish the two species?
Mick
Mick,
Thank you so much for your reply. In answer to your question, yes, you probably will get American Goldfinches at your finch feeders with the Lesser Goldfinches. Not only that, but (lucky you) you could also get the Lawrence’s Goldfinch. The Lawrence’s Goldfinch may be distinguished from the others by having large amounts of yellow in the wings. The other two species have black wings with white wingbars. The other two may be told apart by looking at the under tail coverts (feathers at the base of the tail on bottom of the bird)and the rump. In the American Goldfinch these feathers are generally white. In the Lessers these feathers are yellow or buff colored. Lesser Goldfinches tend to have streaking on the back of the head and back. This is generally lacking in the American Goldfinch. Hope this helps and thank you again for the reply.
Tom