American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis · Finches, Euphonias, and Allies
Banding codeAMGO
Keys to identifying it
1Size & shape
About 5 in long.
2Color pattern
- Breeding male bright yellow with a black cap
- Black wings with white bars
- Winter birds dull olive-brown
3Habitat & season
Weedy fields, thistle patches, feeders, riparian edges
In northern Utah: year-round.
Seen most often in November, December and January.
Share of the region’s research-grade iNaturalist bird observations each month, scaled to this bird’s peak. Highlighted bars are its peak months.
4Voice
Long twittering song; a bouncy four-note flight call.
“po-ta-to-chip!”
iNat 92166985 by Nathan G · Harvest Hills, Saratoga Springs, UT 84045, USA · CC BY
Know it
- Its flight call sounds like 'po-ta-to-chip.'
- One of the strictest vegetarians among birds, eating almost only seeds.
- Nests late in summer, when thistles provide seed and nest-lining fluff.
- Molts twice a year: the bright yellow male turns olive-brown for winter.
Often confused with
Lesser Goldfinch
Western Tanager
Ruby-crowned Kinglet- Wilson's Warbler
From iNaturalist identification data for northern Utah.
From Wikipedia
The American goldfinch is a small North American bird in the finch family. It is migratory, ranging from mid-Alberta to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canada–United States border to Mexico during the winter.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0