American Goldfinch
Scientific: Carduelis
tristis
Norwegian: Gulstillits
The American Goldfinch is about 5” and the male picture shown is during the spring mating season. Females and males during other seasons are not so vibrant. The American Goldfinch is seen around tall weed patches, nests in bushes, and eats seeds such as sunflowers, asters, and thistles. State bird for Iowa, New Jersey, and Washington. They can be identified by their conical bill and short, notched tail. A similar bird is the Yellow Warbler, but the Goldfinch has the black cap during mating and are duller yellow the rest of the year, whereas the Yellow Warbler is bright yellow and has a thin black bill.