Years ago, a reader e-mailed me about a phenomenon involving a large flock of 20 to 30 American goldfinches descending all at once onto her newly planted garden.
The birds were there for only a short time, but by the time they abruptly left, only a handful of beet sprouts were left. The birds practically wiped out every single beet plant by plucking the tiny plants out of the soil and flying off with them.
Interestingly, in some parts of the country, goldfinches are known as “beet birds.” Other names include catnip bird, salad bird and lettuce bird. These uncommon, but locally common names for goldfinches are all based on these birds’ penchant for garden plants and the seeds that the plants sprouted from.
Indeed, it turns out that American goldfinches eat the seeds of all kinds of plants, including a host of vegetable seeds and, of course, thistle seeds and sunflower seeds. In fact, goldfinches are almost exclusively seed eaters or “granivores” as they are also characterized. Their conically shaped bills are adapted for cracking seed heads and extracting the nutritious “seed meat” from a wide variety of plant seeds.
The American goldfinch, also called eastern finch, wild canary and yellow finch is, as any backyard birder will attest, a delightful Minnesota songbird. Goldfinches are so named based on the beautiful yellow breeding plumage of the male bird.
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Females, juveniles and non-breeding males are not very yellow at all. Even so, the bright yellow adult male goldfinch in full, springtime breeding plumage has a fair amount of black-colored feathers, too. Its forehead and much of its wings and tail are black.
As mentioned, goldfinches are common visitors to backyard bird feeders. People find their docile and gregarious behavior gratifying and their alluring displays of bright yellows and sing-song voices inspiring.
These lemon-yellow birds are one of the latest nesting migrants occurring here. Though sometimes present all year long, goldfinches typically migrate south of northern Minnesota in the wintertime, but they don’t migrate far. During mild winters with plenty of food, some goldfinches will remain behind and become frequent wintertime visitors at bird feeding stations throughout the Northland.
Nesting season for goldfinches doesn’t begin until July here in northern Minnesota. The breeding and nesting season is timed with the blooming and subsequent seeding of thistle plants. Thistledown and plant fibers are used as nesting materials, while thistle seed is fed to their offspring. And it is for this latter reason that brown-headed cowbird chicks can’t be successfully raised in the nest of a goldfinch. Young cowbirds simply cannot survive on a diet of thistle seeds or other seeds.
As previously mentioned, goldfinches sometime overwinter here. However, what you won’t see, at least during the winter months and early spring, are brightly colored goldfinches. By wintertime, both male and female goldfinches have molted — long gone are the brightly colored yellow and black feathers of the males’ breeding plumage.
Interestingly, goldfinches are the only species of its subfamily to molt twice. All other family members molt once a year during the fall. Throughout the winter, both male and female goldfinches look remarkably similar, but by spring, after undergoing a complete molt, males begin acquiring their familiar yellow and black feathers.
In the winter months, males have an olive-yellow appearance, whereas the slightly duller females’ feathers are yellow-brown. Both sexes’ plumage, especially breeding males as spring and summer approaches, brightens.
For sure, not many songbirds are as vibrant looking, sing as beautifully, come as readily to our birdfeeders or remain in the state throughout the year, as the American goldfinch.
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Goldfinches are the official state birds of three state s— Washington, Iowa and New Jersey. In Minnesota, the American goldfinch was thought of by some people as the “unofficial” state bird for many years before the common loon was officially granted the honor. Needless to say, the goldfinch would have been a fine choice as Minnesota’s avian representative.
The American goldfinch, a.k.a. “beet bird” and by a host of other common names, is a welcome splash of color at our backyard feeders as we get out and enjoy the great outdoors.
Blane Klemek is a Minnesota DNR wildlife manager. He can be reached at bklemek@yahoo.com.
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