The exuberant bounding flight, musical calls, and flashy yellow and black plumage of the American goldfinch in breeding-season make them one of the most recognized and welcome of Oregon birds. Found in flocks nearly year-round, these goldfinches are a familiar site in riparian woodlands, orchards, weedy fields, and agricultural land.

They are among the last of Oregon's songbirds to nest and are highly nomadic in the nonbreeding season. They may form mixed flocks with Lesser goldfinches and Pine siskins at bird feeders and weed patches throughout Oregon, as well as with Common redpolls some years in northeast Oregon.

Their diet is composed almost entirely of seeds, with those of the sunflower family, particularly thistles, strongly preferred.

The American Goldfinch occurs as a year-round resident wet of the Cascades particularly in the large interior valleys. Very small numbers have been seen in the Cascade and Coast Range mountains.

Hear the song of the American goldfinch

Photo by Dave Budeau, ODFW