26 Mart 2013 Salı

Iowa State Bird

Iowa State Bird

American Goldfinch (common name) 
Carduelis tristis 
(scientific name)

Overview

The brightly colored American goldfinch is a popular sight at backyard feeders. The male is vibrant yellow in the summer and turns an olive green color during the winter. The female is yellow-brown in color, turning duller during the winter. Both sexes have a beak that is pink for most of the year and turns orange in the spring. The American goldfinch was declared the official state bird of Iowa in 1933 and New Jersey in 1935. It was designated Washington's state bird in 1951. It forages in groups for seeds in shrubs and on the ground and will occasionally also eat insects. The bird's small, conical beak allows the extraction of seeds from thistles, sunflowers, and other seed-bearing plants. The song is a combination of high-pitched twitters, warbling songs, and distinctive call notes. Goldfinches mate for life and raise one or two broods per year. The goldfinch feeds insects to its young.

Close-up

STATUS
Official
ALSO KNOWN AS
Beet-bird, black-winged yellow bird, California goldfinch, catnip-bird, common goldfinch, lettuce bird, lettuce-bird, northwestern goldfinch, pale goldfinch, salad-bird, shiner, thistle bird, western goldfinch, willow goldfinch, yellow goldfinch, yellow-bird, yellowbird, American goldfinch, wild canary
PHYSICAL DETAILS

 Male
Female
 Size
Length to end of tail: 4.5 in (11-13 cm)
Wing from flexure: 7-9 in (19-22 cm)
Length of tail: 5 in (13 cm)
Length to end of tail: 4.5 in (11-13 cm)
Wing from flexure: 7-9 in (19-22 cm)
Length of tail: 5 in (13 cm)
 Weight
0.39-0.71 oz (11-20 g)
0.39-0.71 oz (11-20 g)
BEHAVIOR
During the non-breeding season, goldfinches gather in large flocks that include other types of finches. Flocks fly in an undulating, wave-shaped pattern.
HABITAT
Open country such as fields, meadows, orchards, gardens, flood plains, and open deciduous forests, preferably with rivers.
Range: From southern Canada to northern Mexico. The summer breeding range stretches from Saskatchewan to northern California in the west and to North Carolina in the east.
Migration: Populations in Canada and the southern United States migrate seasonally, although they will remain resident if food is abundant.
Conservation Status: Least concern (LC)
NESTING
Nesting Period: July until mid-September
Size of Clutch: 3-7
Incubation Period: 10-12 days
Egg Description: pale blue unmarked eggs
Egg Size: 0.6 x 0.45 in (16 x 12 mm)
SIMILAR SPECIES
Pine siskin, lesser goldfinch, yellow warbler, Wilson's warbler
TRIVIA
  • American goldfinches breed later in the year than any other finch because of the abundance of seeds in the late summer months.

Click to enlarge an image
State Bird
Male American Goldfinch
State Bird
Female American Goldfinch
State Bird
American Goldfinch Feeding
State Bird
American Goldfinch
Distribution Map (pdf)

CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Aves
Order:Passeriformes
Family:Fringillidae
Genus:Carduelis
Species:C. tristis
Author: World Trade Press


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