The goldfinch is a granivore, which is a big word for telling interested people that the little bird is a seed-eating, strict vegetarian. For this reason, some people refer to the sweetly singing birds as wild canaries, which is not correct. The goal is to make the finch’s already lovely song even more melodious, with a broader repertoire of sounds. Their breeding is sometimes manipulated, crossing a male goldfinch on a female canary. Goldfinches, both American and British, are frequently raised in captivity. During the winter, the pattern changes running from just south of the Canada-U.S. For the American goldfinch, the migration route during the breeding season is from mid-Alberta to North Carolina. Many of these will make a winter migration as far south as Spain. The British version has a strong tendency to form flocks of around 40 birds, sometimes more. The two primary branches are the American branch and the British branch. That, combined with its melodious song, is definitely enough to turn the girls’ heads. The “men” turn into quick-change artists, donning bright yellow feathers, black and white wings and a black cap. That shifts dramatically in the spring, however, when the male must begin concentrating on attracting a lady. Goldfinches are rather drab in the winter, a dull green/brown with little to no colorful ornamentation. The pink beak mentioned above turns bright orange during the molting. The American goldfinches are songbirds that go through two molts per year, which is very unusual. The design of the beak makes it perfect for extracting seeds from flower heads, such as sunflowers. The beak is small, cone-shaped and a pinkish color. The goldfinch was originally described in 1758 as a small bird from four to six inches long with a 7.5 to 8.7 inch wingspan. The goldfinch is wonderful to watch, either in the wild or as a back yard resident. There are dozens of adjectives to describe the American goldfinch and his British counterpart.
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