Transitioning Goldfinch

March 2024 American Goldfinches are amongst the most common and beloved backyard birds in North America. The male’s bright plumage and distinct calls through the spring are fond background memories from my youth growing up on an Ontario farm. Casual observers may wonder where Goldfinches go during the winter months. They seem to disappear in the early fall and return in the spring. Often the birds are still there, though they are dressed in their drab winter coats. This male American Goldfinch is transitioning back into his breeding plumage after a winter of wearing brown and grey. Winter feathers are more downy and provide better insulation against the cold. You can see the remnants of his winter feathers under the brighter yellow. His beak, which is usually orange during breeding season, is transitioning from the brown colour it took on during the fall molt. Wing feathers are only changed once a year in the fall. The spring plumage molt happens only for the feathers on their body. It seems to be specifically for breeding and to lower the feather’s insulation level for the warmer months. The transition in goldfinches can take awhile since the yellow and orange colours come from the carotenoids in their food sources, which are often scarce by winter’s end. Female American Goldfinches use the level of colour and the speed of this change to gauge a male’s ability to find food and thus provide for chicks. In their culture, males are dominant in the fall and winter while females are dominant during the breeding season.