![]() ![]() Zookeepers feed them a diet of seeds and berries. Their enclosures also contain a variety of trees, shrubs, bushes, and water features. ![]() Walk-through aviaries are large enough for multiple species of birds to share space and establish their own territories. In aviaries, these birds share their space with many other species of small birds. They are popular fixtures in walk-through aviaries, because of their bright coloration. In zoos, Goldfinches require similar care to other finches and small songbirds. In fact, in the United States it is illegal to own one as a pet, because the Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects them from capture, harassment, and harm. Humans have not domesticated Goldfinches in any way. The IUCN lists this species as Least Concern. Perhaps due in part to their ability to utilize birdfeeders, their populations are quite stable and actually increasing in number. In turn, people enjoy seeing these beautiful birds at their birdfeeders. These little birds love to visit backyards, farms, parks, suburbs, and other urban areas. Humans and Goldfinches interact quite frequently. Some of their favorite types of seeds are sunflowers, asters, nyjer, thistle, and more. Their foraging behavior occurs both in shrubs and plants, and along the ground. One of their favorite places to forage is backyards, where they utilize birdfeeders and eat their fill of seeds. Their diet consists of weeds, seeds, nuts, pinecones, and other similar grains. Specifically, they are granivorous, and eat only seeds and grains. These finches are strict herbivores, and eat only plants. Winter populations live throughout the rest of the southern United States into Mexico. Year-round residents live throughout the northern and central United States. Migratory populations spend their spring and summer throughout southern Canada and the Midwest United States. In other regions they are year-round residents. The northernmost populations migrate south during the winter. Distribution of the GoldfinchĪmerican Goldfinches live across much of North America. They thrive in parks, gardens, backyards, pastures, farms, and other manmade areas. These little birds are also quite amenable to human interaction, and often live in urban areas. They prefer areas with a variety of shrubs, flowers, and other seed-producing plants. Some of their favorite ecosystems include grasslands, meadows, forest edges, floodplains, savanna, scrub forest, and more. This species lives in several different types of habitats, usually in tropical or temperate regions. ![]() Though the Goldfinches do not notice the brood parasite, cowbird chicks cannot survive on a diet of only seeds. However, cowbirds meet their match with these would-be adoptive parents. ![]() Brood parasites are birds that lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, and let the other pair do the work raising their young. Cow’s-Bane – Like many birds, these suffer from brood parasites, most commonly cowbirds.While most birds feed on insects during the breeding season, Goldfinches feed their chicks the same seeds that they eat year-round. True Herbivores – This species of finch has one of the most strictly vegetarian diets of any bird.Because of this, these little birds molt their feathers twice per year. As the breeding season passes, their plumage changes to a light brown color. During the breeding season, their plumage is bright yellow and quite flashy. Brighten Up – These finches change color based on the season.These birds only fly as far as they need to be in non-negative temperatures. Instead, they base their destination on the temperatures. However, these birds do not fly to a specific destination. Cold Avoidance – Like many other songbirds, Goldfinches fly south for the winter.Learn more about what makes these birds so interesting below. These are brightly-colored birds that certainly draw attention at backyard birdfeeders. Most of these birds are four or five inches long, and weigh less than an ounce. Their beaks are short, thick, and triangular. However, outside of the breeding season, both males and females dull to a light brown color. The plumage of females is slightly less vibrant than the males. They also have white barring and markings on their wings and tails. American Goldfinches are bright yellow birds with black plumage on the tops of their heads, wings, and tails. ![]()
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