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Bird Graphic 

 

 

American Goldfinch -
(Carduelis tristis) 

 Audio

Identification

  • Small songbird
  • Male breeding plumage: bright yellow with  black forehead, wings and tail
  • Summer female duller olive, blackish wings, wingbar
  • Winter plumage both sexes like female but greyer
  • No streaking underneath or on back
  • Undulating flight
  • 5-5.5" (11-14cm.)

Habitat

  • Brushy and residential areas

Additional Information

  • Common resident
  • Nesting begins later than other birds
  • Uses thistle-down for nest lining
  • Abundant in the Kickapoo Valley Reserve
  • Seed eater

Comparable Species

Close up of an American Goldfinch on a branch

American Goldfinch diplaying duller winter plumage 

 

The Kickapoo Reserve Management Board acknowledges that the state and federal lands that comprise the Reserve fall within the ancestral homelands of First Nations people including the Hooçak Nation. We recognize the sovereignty of the Hooçak and other First Nations and will work towards a shared future by continuing to create collaborative opportunities to protect and preserve these lands.

Kickapoo Valley Reserve | S3661 State Highway 131 | La Farge, Wisconsin 54639 
Phone: 608-625-2960 | FAX: 608-625-2962
kickapoo.reserve@krm.state.wi.us

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