Goldfinches are active, acrobatic finches found in most habitats across North America, including backyards. To attract these birds to your yard, offering their favourite foods, such as Nyjer® (thistle) and Sunflower, as well as planting native thistles, purple coneflower, and other composite plants, as well as native milkweeds will help make your yard irresistible to these yellow beauties.  

What Do American Goldfinches Look Like?

American Goldinches are small birds, approximately 11-13 cm (4.5" - 5") in length, with a short, conical bill and a short, notched tail. Springtime males are easy to distinguish from the females by their bright yellow plumage with black foreheads and wings with white markings. Adult females are a duller yellow on the belly and an olive colour above. In the winter both birds resemble the females darker colouring with two pale wing bars and are much harder to tell apart.  

Do They Migrate?

More Northern populations of the American Goldfinch will migrate South to regions where the minimum January temperatures stay above -18° C (about 0° F). Here in Simcoe County the Goldfinches remain year-round, often flocking in larger winter groups including other Finches, Downy Woodpeckers, Chickadees, Cardinals and Nuthatches. 

Fun Facts

Unlike many birds, Goldfinches molt their body feathers twice a year, in the spring before breeding and after nesting in the fall.

American Goldfinches are the strictest vegetarians in the bird world, only ingesting insects accidentally. Even their babies are fed only a plant based diet!

For more information visit this great resource: All About Birds - American Goldfinch

Foods

We recommend offering fresh Nyjer® (thistle) because it is goldfinches’ favorite feeder food. Nyjer® has a high oil content and is an excellent energy source for these active birds.

Feeders

To attract goldfinches to your yard, we recommend offering the right food and designated finch feeders or a designated finch-feeding station.

• WBU Quick-Clean™ Finch Feeders accommodate goldfinches’ small bills and allow them to easily dine on Nyjer®. These feeders’ removable bases make cleaning a breeze. They are easy to fill and hang, deter squirrels and come with a lifetime guarantee.
• Simply add our Weather Guard Dome to your finch feeder to help keep seed dry and protect birds from inclement weather.
• Because they locate food by sight, provide goldfinches with their own feeding station in an open, easy-to-find area, a feeder such as the WBU Dinner Bell Feeder provides this open station with built in weather coverage. 
• Create a goldfinch feeding station with our exclusive Advanced Pole System® (APS) Basic Setup Hanging Hardware. It’s easy to construct and maintain. Just plant it into the ground, add the extension poles and arms, and top it with the decorative finial. Then fill and hang your feeders.
• Keep your Nyjer® fresh and mold-free with Feeder Fresh™. Mix it with the seed in your feeders, and the absorbent granules will “drink up” excess moisture. Feeder Fresh is completely safe for you and your birds.

Birdbaths (Water)

Water is essential to all birds and providing a bird bath means they don’t have to travel great distances to find water. Water in a bird bath should be cleaned regularly as birds defecate, leave bits of food and feathers in the bath, not to mention leaves and other items that can end up in a bath. In the winter, heated birdbaths provide an excellent place for birds to drink. In fact, most encounters with Eastern Bluebirds during the winter months take place by small streams and flowing water that is open all winter long.

Nesting

WBU Nest Building Material: Birds often use string, yarn, feathers, hair clippings and even cat or dog fur as nest-building materials. Our packaged nesting materials are an easy way to offer your birds the materials they need for their home-building needs. Simply hang it up and let your birds take what they need to create a place of their own. Also, be sure to shop through our other bird feeding supplies to complement all your bird feeding needs.

Diameter: 5"