Laura Erickson's For the Birds

![American Goldfinch] (https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7078/7339727610_f575286aa6.jpg “American Goldfinch”) (Recording of a Goldfinch)

A couple of weeks ago we reported the results of an informal poll about people’s favorite birds, and asked for listener response. So far, 100% of our mail respondents have chosen the American Goldfinch as the most beautiful bird up here. The goldfinch is popular throughout the country–it’s the state bird of Washington, on the West Coast, New Jersey, on the East Coast, and Iowa, right in the middle.

The American Goldfinch is the only lemon yellow bird with black wings, cap, and tail. It’s closely related to the Evening Grosbeak, but Grosbeaks aren’t nearly as brightly colored.

1986 seems to be the summer of the goldfinch in our area. Although feeder activity falls drastically during the nesting season, right now just about everyone who keeps their feeders going has at least a few goldfinches visiting. The Goldfinch is one of the latest nesters of all the birds. Up here goldfinches often do not begin to nest until July or even August, when other little birds are already thinking about migrating south for the winter. The goldfinch waits to build its nest when milkweed pods are ripe and thistle plants have gone to seed, so it can line the cup-shaped nest with soft thistle down and mildweed down. The nest is so densely constructed that it’s waterproof–if the parents don’t cover it during a rainstorm, the young may even drown.

Goldfinches are very closely related to pet canaries–they are often called the “Wild Canary.” In captivity, goldfinches have even bred with canaries, and successfully raised hybrid babies. But another bird, the Yellow Warbler, is also often called a “Wild Canary” because of its color. That’s why ornithologists don’t like nicknames–if two people were talking about “Wild Canaries,” they could be talking about two completely unrelated birds. So the American Ornithologists’ Union has standardized the common names of every bird ever found in North America, and now people can always be sure they are talking about the same bird.

If you’d like to attract goldfinches to your yard, they are fond of sunflower seeds. If you enjoy spending money, you might also set out some niger seed. It looks like black thistle seed, but it’s from India, and it won’t germinate here in the U.S., so you won’t get a lot of thistle plants ruining your lawn mower. The problem with niger seed is that it costs at least as much per pound as a good cut of steak–and once the goldfinches and Pine Siskins discover it, it never lasts long. That’s why the goldfinches in my yard have to settle for sunflower seed.

It’s easy to recognize goldfinches in flight, even at a long distance. As they swoop across the sky in big undulating “U’s,” they say, “perchickory, perchickory.” Their song is a jumble of twitters and warbles, and they frequently say “Bee.”

(Recording of an American Goldfinch)

This is Laura Erickson, and this program has been “For the Birds.”

re-taped in 1987

(Recording of the American Goldfinch)

Last year we conducted an informal poll to find out which birds were our listeners’ favorites. Two letters poured in, one voting the winter wren as having the prettiest song, and the other voting the American Goldfinch as havng the prettiest plumage. It’s the only lemon yellow bird with black wings, cap, and tail. It’s closely related to the evening Grosbeak, but is much smaller, and to the Pine Siskin, but is much brighter. It’s also related to pet canaries–in captivity, goldfinches have even bred with canaries and successfully raised hybrid babies.

The goldfinch is pretty enough to be the state bird of Washington, on the west coast, New Jersey, on the east coast, and Iowa, right in the middle. It even used to be considered Minnesota’s state bird–until the legislature officially adopted the loon in 1961.

Right now, just about everybody with a summer feeder has at least one or two goldfinches visiting. Goldfinches seem perfectly content with sunflower seed, but their favorite feeder treat is niger seed. It looks and tastes like blck thistle seed, but comes from India and won’t germinate in the U.S. Real thistle seed is not sold anywhere because it develops into a noxious weed–but many storeowners call niger seed thistle. The only problem with niger is that it costs as much per pound as a good cut of steak–and once the goldfinches and siskins discover it, it never lasts long. In my yard, the goldfinches usually have to settle for sunflower.

The goldfinch is the latest nesting bird in the Northland. They usually don’t even begin to build their nests until July r even August, when other small birds are already heading south for the winter. The goldfinch waits until milkweed pods are ripe and thistle plants have gone to seed, so it can line its cup-shaped nest with soft milkweed and thistle down. The nest is so densely costructed that it’s waterproof– if the parents don’t cover their nestlings during a rain, the young may even drown.

It’s easy to recognize goldfinches in flight, even from afar. They undulate across the sky, swooping up and down as they say “perchickory, perchickory.”

(Recording)

This is Laura Erickson, and this program has been “For the Birds.”