Are your goldfinches packing their migratory bags, have they already headed south or are they only changing into winter clothing?
The answer could be any or all of the above.
Adult male in pre-breeding plumage, April 2025/photo credit: David M A O’Neill from Facebook
The American Goldfinch (AGOL) spends the entire breeding season (May to September, roughly) in parts of southern Canada that hug the border from coast to coast, and, in selective locations, they stay year round.
If you’re in southern Ontario, most will stay through winter, but you should know that the males won’t look like the ones you see in summer.Come September, male goldfinches lose their brilliant yellow breeding colours in favour of more drab winter jackets.
Even their bills change colour, so if you find yourself thinking you have a new kind of finch at your feeder, you may well be looking at the same goldfinches you fed through the summer.
To keep and attract goldfinches in winter, the best rule is to simply provide food and water for them.
To see a selection of goldfinch feeders on the Avant-Garden shop website, click on this link: Goldfinch Feeders.
A bird of many colours
Look at these photographs showing different aspects of colour changes in the American Goldfinch, with thanks to David M A O’Neill from Ottawa, a bird watcher enthusiast who posts many of his photos on the Facebook Group, FeederWatch Canada.
When you start seeing pops of yellow, it’s probably April…
Adult male in pre-breeding plumage, April 2025/ photo credit: David M A O’Neill from Facebook
In full breeding mode, male goldfinches are almost a neon-yellow…
Breeding plumage; adult male AGOL, August 2025 / photo credit: David M A O’Neill from Facebook
Come fall, beak and feathers are changing…
Post-breeding plumage; adult male AGOL, October 2025 // photo credit: David M A O’Neill from Facebook (Notice the change in beak colour)
Sibley Guides offers a fun click-through series of drawings illustrating the gradual feather and bill changes across every month of the year.
Click here to see the illustrations.
If you’re living in the southern regions of Canada, you may be surprised how many goldfinches are overwintering with you. They’re fairly easy to recognize in both bird song and flight patters, do do some research on a rainy day and be sure to keep your feeders full.
Happy Birding!
Sources:
– Birdfact.com https://birdfact.com/articles/do-american-goldfinches-migrate
– Sibley Guides https://www.sibleyguides.com
– Facebook Feeder Watch https://www.facebook.com/groups/FeederWatchCanada