Wandering Aimlessly
The Gold Is Arriving
by Phil Burkhouse
The transformation of our male American Goldfinch is presently occurring in our area. All winter both Goldfinch sexes have shared a drab wardrobe of tan to gray plumage with a tinge of olive. Their wings and notched tails are predominantly black with some visible flashes of white. Once May arrives the male goes through what is known as a molt, which means he exchanges his gray/brown feathers for brilliant lemon yellow feathers. The female remains pretty much constant in her coloration but does develop some pale yellow plumage during the breeding period.
If you are not a bird brain you might not realize that the drab colored Goldfinch of the winter is the same dazzling fluorescent gold bird you see in the summer. The female remains neutral in color because she will incubate the eggs but the male develops the bright gold plumage during the summer breeding period to attract a mate. Since his gaudy colors also attract predators such as snakes, blue jays, squirrels, weasels, hawks, and beloved house cats, by fall the male molts back to its drab winter plumage.