American Goldfinch

The American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) is a backyard bird feeder favorite. What is not to love? The males are gorgeous with their bright yellow( which comes from the carotenoid pigments from its diet) and black plumage. The females are a bit more subtle in their coloring, but pretty nonetheless. This coloring has also earned them another common name of wild canary. It will be the spring and summer mature males that have this coloring; immature males , females and winter mature males will all be the drabber more olive tone. I commonly have these at my feeders all year. Goldfinches are present in Missouri all year. In some areas of their range they will migrate, during the breeding season they will be found from Southern Canada to North Carolina, during the winter they will be found from just south of Canada to Mexico. They love nyger seed and black oil sunflower seeds. I've seen as many as 100-150 of these at feeders during the winter, especially when there are impending snow storms. It seems they sense the approaching bad weather and will gather at the feeders in large numbers as if it is their last meal. During the spring and summer I typically have 4 or 5 pairs. The males are often territorial and will chase other males away. The fights are rarely serious, and usually if you put out a couple of feeders it will resolve the issue. During nest building the males are aggressive towards any males in the area, females will also be aggressive towards other females. Once nest building is complete they will usually calm down. Goldfinches nest later than most other species, this is in part to the food they eat. In the wild thistles and other small seed bearing plants that the goldfinch loves are finally blooming. They will also use the the thistle down to line their nests. The female incubates the eggs, but she will call continually to the male. She will lay 5 to 6 bluish-white eggs approximately peanut size. The eggs hatch in 12-15 days. The young are fed regurgitated seeds by the female. They grow rapidly and in approximately 15 days they will start taking experimental flights away from the nest. If you would like to attract these gorgeous birds to your backyard, plant flowers that produce seeds they like, such as zinnia, coneflower, bee balm, and globe thistle. Also place thistle seed and black sunflower seeds in feeders, and provide fresh water.

April Snow brings Spring Visitors

Today (April 2nd) I awoke to a heavy wet snow falling. The temperatures seemed fairly warm at around 35 degrees. There was a slight wind blowing. I could tell by the conditions once the snow stopped falling it wouldn't stick around long, the ground is too warm and air temperature is rising rapidly. I could hear a lot of bird activity going on outside my window. I could not believe my eyes when I opened the front door. There were birds everywhere. So many different species all converging on the bird feeders. Fighting for their turn to eat. I took pictures of many of them, but unfortunately I had to take the pictures through the glass of the door and they are somewhat fuzzy or blurry. Each time I tried to sneak the door open they would fly off in a frenzy. So this was the best I could manage. Hopefully they are clear enough to show the diversity of the individuals that visited today. I counted Harris Sparrow, Red-Wing Black Birds, American Goldfinches (males and females), Juncos, House Sparrows, Northern Cardinals (males and females), Grackles, American Robins, Northern Mockingbird, Downy Woodpecker, White-Breasted Nuthatch, and Black-Capped Chick-a-dee. Seemed the wet snow was triggering their appetites.