Fun Facts About Goldfinches

As spring approaches, Goldfinches have begun turning the distinctive gold color that they are famous for.  What better time to learn a little more about these wonderful birds!

- Goldfinches are sometimes referred to as wild canaries. They are actually in the finch family as their name suggest.

- They have an interesting flight call with four syllables that can be likened to “potato-chip.”

- They are common feeder visitors that prefer thistle (nyjer) and sunflowers. They are rather acrobatic, and often dip upside down feeding on weed seeds like coneflowers and sunflowers.

- Goldfinches will hang upside down to eat, but experiments with specially designed feeders have shown that they prefer to dine upright if possible.

- Goldfinches usually lay 5 pale-blue or greenish-blue eggs that will hatch in about 12 days. Babies will fledge about 12 days after that. An interesting side note is that the nest cleaning is ceased about a week after the babies hatch.

- Goldfinches don winter clothes: the dull-green coat of feathers grown each fall has an especially dense layer of soft, plumaceous feathers to provide extra insulation.

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