American Goldfinch

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis), also called "Wild Canary",  go under a complete molt twice a year. Male has bright, shinny yellow over all with a black cap in summer. Female is dull yellow-brown. This is the first male I photographed this year. As you can see, he is not fully yellow. They consume mainly sunflower seeds, thistle and alder seeds. One interesting fact is that when a cowbird lays eggs in a goldfinch nest, the new born cowbirds can barely survive with a full vegetarian diet. Many birders dislike cowbird's parasitic behavior of laying eggs into other birds' nests. But I guess nature always find a way to control :)   -- Happy Birding! -- Linda

American Goldfinch, male. Click image to enlarge