In spring, the arrival of brilliant yellow American goldfinches is a welcome sign that warmer temperatures are on their way. In fall, on their return flight, so to speak, their stopovers are bittersweet reminders that winter is now just around the corner.

A female goldfinch at Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo

American goldfinches only sport this bright yellow plumage for breeding season, from roughly March to October. They will soon be molting, changing into more subdued, gray, wintery plumage. (The males will no longer sport their dashing black caps either.) The goldfinches’ wardrobe change is a signal that it might be time to get our winter clothes out of storage too…

Two male goldfinches at Nature Boardwalk. Their black caps will soon fade, only to return next spring.

These birds seem to find plenty of seeds to eat at Nature Boardwalk at Lincoln Park Zoo. We’ve been occasionally seeing them throughout the summer, but an influx has occurred with fall migration.

Goldfinches are picky eaters; they are almost exclusively “seed-ivores.” Even the young are fed a strict diet of seeds from various plants, including thistle. Luckily for us city-dwellers, the goldfinch’s penchant for seeds makes them common visitors to bird feeders, where they stock up on sunflower seeds and the like.

Come down to Nature Boardwalk to see if you can spot one of these still colorful birds on their migratory route south, before they molt into their winter colors!

Vicky Hunt