American Goldfinches

They call “Po-ta-to-chip,” but they eat far more nutritiously. I was delighted to identify American Goldfinches at my birdfeeder after a winter of House Finches and Black-capped Chickadees. This past weekend I saw a vibrant yellow male wearing his small black cap and showing white markings on his black wings. Goldfinches are common birds, but they provide a new and brilliant spot of color in our greening Maple tree. One intriguing fact about them is that they are vegetarian, only accidentally feeding on the random insect. They rely on sunflower and thistle seeds for food, and use thistledown to build their nests. Because they prefer thistle for seed and for nest construction, they breed later than other songbirds, when the plant material becomes available. An interesting result of their vegetarianism is that when Brown-headed Cowbirds lay eggs in their nest, the Cowbird nestlings survive only a few days, because the Goldfinch diet has insufficient protein to support them. I’m able to enjoy the Goldfinches for only a short time before the more aggressive House Finches flutter around and chase them off, but they return, both male and female, with more frequency. I expect them to disappear when they go in search of thistles. Next year I'll try to have some native thistle for them to use.