Finches

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Finches are classified as small to medium birds in the Passerine or Perching Bird order. Finches have cone shaped beaks that are adapted for eating various types of seeds. They often have very colorful plumage (feathers) and they are found in a wide range of habitats where they stay all year round.

 

American Goldfinch in a tree in Lower Town Harpers Ferry
NPS Photo/A. Cook

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

• Goldfinches are very strict vegetarians and try to eat only vegetables and seeds. They sometimes accidentally eat an insect.
• When you see goldfinches fly, they bounce and roller coaster up and down, often chirping as they fly
• Goldfinches love to nest in weedy frields, open floodplains, and other overgrown plant areas with shrubs and trees

 

Illustration of an American Goldfinch
NPS/Intern Tristan Thomas

Identification Information:

• Size: Sparrow sized or smaller (Extra Small)
• Color: Adult males in spring/summer are bright yellow with black forehead and wings, females are a duller yellow. In winter both males and females are brown with blackish wings.

 

All of the above information is an abbreviated version of information gathered from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Please visit their website for more in-depth bird information.

 

Birds

Perching Birds

Cardinals and Allies

Old World Sparrows