# American Goldfinch

*Spinus tristis*

They are the only finches that molt their body feathers twice a year, once in late winter and again in late summer.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Fringillidae › Spinus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Weedy fields, meadows, orchards, floodplains, and suburban gardens.
- **Diet:** Strictly granivorous, favoring seeds from thistles, asters, sunflowers, and grasses.
- **Range:** North America, Southern Canada, United States, Northern Mexico
- **Size:** Length: 11-14 cm; Wingspan: 19-22 cm; Weight: 11-20 g
- **Lifespan:** 3 to 6 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation, window collisions, predation by domestic cats, and avian diseases at feeders.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. Maintain a respectful distance of 5-10 feet to avoid startling. Safe to observe at backyard feeders; ensure feeders are cleaned regularly to prevent disease spread.

## About

The American goldfinch ( Spinus tristis ) is a small North American bird in the finch family. It is migratory, ranging from mid-Alberta to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canada–United States border to Mexico during the winter.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/1985504e-b1f2-44b9-a473-47b2aed10809
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/145310
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinus tristis
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/84579952/medium.jpeg (Glenn Berry, CC0, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.