American goldfinch
The American goldfinch is a small song bird. It is primarily yellow in colour with black patches and white areas. The male, female and juvenile goldfinches have different colorations. The adult breeding male has the most distinctive and attractive plumage as it is primarily bright yellow. The female has a more subdued yellow plummage.
The goldfinches have a cheerful song and warble frequently throughout the day. They are commonly found in pairs or small groups. Their flight is quite distinctive as they move up and down in a wave-like motion.
Goldfinches eat primarily sunflowers both from feeders and from the sunflower plants, when the flowers are in bloom or have finished blossoming. They also like nyjer seeds, milkweed and thistle.
Goldfinches drink water frequently throughout the day. However, I have not observed them bathing.
Sipping water from the bird bath
This compilation video features various goldfinches drinking water from the bird bath. I hope to soon add some video footage of goldfinches eating from feeders and sunflower plants.
The video is hosted on YouTube because of its large file size. New segments will be added weekly.