Is it a Goldfinch?

Hi Helena

Yes, I agree with everyone here that it is a Juv Goldfinch.  Super picture too!.

They do like their Nyger Seed so you cannot go wrong there.

We have a 2 perch Nyger feeder,.  We feel tempted to get a 4 perch Nyger feeder instead, as we always seen to have 4 Goldfinches around at one one - so that is a way of stopping them being impatient with one another.

Fiona M said:

After putting out the feeder I got more and more gold finches into the garden, all of which have completely ignored the niger seed and much prefer the sunflower hearts!

I found the same thing Helena! They completey ignored the niger seed I bought but they love the sunflower hearts so that's what I've stuck with ever since!

I find the same - Niger seed ingored, but they love sunflower hearts & I get 6 or more on each feeder. However just 25 yards away a neighbour has a Niger seed feeder, which they also spend time on.

Does anybody know why they always spit part of the sunflower seed out? I have studied the carefully & they take a seed, bite it and spit (not drop) a small piece of the seed.

If you  refer to prestige reference guides like 'The Birds of the Western Paleartic', you will find details of different races and the difference between the sexes, but I challenge any Goldfinch to stand still long enough to be  analysed in that detail. Didn't Germaine Greer once say that 'Life is too short to sex a Goldfinch'. Something like that anyway. If you live in the suburbs or country, your Niger (Nyjer, nyger) seed could also attract Siskins in the winter.  

I've certainly noticed that the goldfinches that come to my garden tend to prefer sunflower hearts above nyger seed, although they do eat the nyger seed.  I've also seen siskins, green finches, and collared doves eat nyger seed.

Paul.

We have a few Goldfinch that visit the garden and mostly they do like the niger seed and will always go for that first. Then they go for sunflower hearts or if the niger seed feeder is full the other Goldfinch will have the hearts and then go for the niger too. I haven't seen any other birds eat the niger seed though

Pam

Hi Helena

I am a bird ringer and the only real way to sex adults in the the hand. Generally you need to look at the extent of red on the face. If the red extends behind the eye then is is usually a male. You can also sex them on wing lenght and the females would have a brood patch in the spring.

Paul

Unknown said:

Hi Helena,

Certainly looks like a Goldfinch to me and I would say it is a juvenile.

Graham

Deffinateley a Goldfinch and a juvenile!!

Gary

Hi Helena

I think the Goldfinches are one of the beautiful birds to have in your garden. The tinkling songs, as they move about in their groups from tree to tree as they do.  They are one in a million.

Do you know that a group of Goldfinches is called 'A charm of Goldfinches'   So quaint, and so true.

The juvs are easy to ID, as they lack the red areas of their heads.  They do have that easy to ID tail,  white spots against a black background.  So that is another way of ID-ing them.  That is how I personally ID Juv goldfinches over other Finches.

Thanks Paul for your information,, and I did not know that the red on the face tells the sexes apart.  We learn something new everyday. {thumbs up}

Regards

Kathy and Dave

Unknown said:

Hi Helena

I am a bird ringer and the only real way to sex adults in the the hand. Generally you need to look at the extent of red on the face. If the red extends behind the eye then is is usually a male. You can also sex them on wing lenght and the females would have a brood patch in the spring.

 

Paul