Wild Bird Guide: American Goldfinch

by Alex L.A. Middleton and Serra Middleton

Book Overview

Every aspect of an American Goldfinch's life in the wild - courtship, nesting, brooding, communication, foraging, flying, fighting - is covered in this text.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0811726878
• ISBN13: 9780811726870
• Release Date: July 1998
• Publisher: Stackpole Books
• Length: 2 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 7.3" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

what dies a goldfinch have in common with a squirrel

They both can store food in pouches in their mouths for later digestion or feeding of young.That's why your thistle seed feeder goes dowm so fast during their mating season.(Goldfinch have expensive tastes as the author states.)The Goldfinches spend about 17% of their time on wing maintainence(preening)because in the wilds buff wings are critical.They are only tropical gold during mating season and only the males develop the rich colors.Also the males will bring food to the females and the chics during nesting.the Goldfinch couple permit another male finch called an Beta male to hang around for an emergency and the female may have another brood later in the season to the beta male.If you have a cat around your feeder(as long as the cat can't reach it) the goldfinches will adapt and ignore any ground predator. The books are made for adult readers and go into alot of detail about molting and nesting habits as well as discussing goldfinch language and etiquette.This is just simply a great series,short ,sweet,inexpensive,detailed without being boring and can be read by adults or children. By the way if you have begun feeding the goldfinch in your area you may have started a new vocation for yourself.The goldfinches fat reserves can only hold out maybe a day and a half and winters can be cruel.So stock up on thistle over the winter.Cha-chinga!!!

American goldfinch

The American goldfinch is a bird that I am not all that familiar with and I was pleased to see that the species has been profiled in the Wild Bird Series. Similar to the domesticated canary, the male American goldfinch is readily recognized because of its striking yellow and black plumage. The goldfinch is a bird that can be easily attracted to the backyard by stocking a feeder with thistle-like seeds. (It is largely due to feeders that the American goldfinch is so recognizeable to most, as it has made the species much more common.) As with the other books in the series, the photographs are excellent, but unlike some of the other titles, the text is somewhat more substantial. Overall, and excellent book, truly a joy to read.