Wild Child: Who is that yellow bird?

Who's the yellow bird. Several pictures of American goldfinches with their yellow colouring and black foreheads and wings to help identify the bird.

Have you noticed a bright yellow bird calling brightly as it flies by?

In the winter these little birds are harder to spot with brown feathers and 2 black wing bars, but in the warmer weather their yellow colour makes them easier to spot.

An American goldfinch sits on the stem of a flower plant with multiple yellow flowers. The drabe brown and olive colouring is clearly visible with the black wing bars.

Size/Shape

These birds are small about the size of a sparrow. Their bills are short and conical, while their wings are long and their tails are notched.

Colour

In the warmer months adults males are bright yellow with a black forehead and black wings with a white markings and patches above and below their tails. Females have a duller yellow underside with an olive upper side. Both birds have a brown colouring in the winter with black wing bars. Juveniles are a brown colour.

Behaviour

These birds seem to bounce through the air as they fly and can often be heard calling as they fly by. They also cling to seed heads to forage.

Habitat

American Goldfinches can be found in weedy fields and flood plains or foraging at backyard feeders.

More information

Learn more about the American Goldfinch here and listen to it’s flight call (potato-chips OR per-chick-o-ree) here.


Written by Tandy Morton, Wild Child Outdoor Playgroup Facilitator

Blog, science, play, spring, Wild Child, winterNT Mortonbirds, birds canada, bird identification, wild child, outdoor play, red winged black bird, nuthatch, american goldfinch