Photos by BarrytheBirder
Breeding male American Goldfinch
It is now October and the male American Goldfinches in the backyard have undergone another seasonal change. They are no longer the shocking yellow, as seen in the top photo. The males have assumed the appearance of the females and they are offer difficult to distinguish from each other, particularly if there are many of them together or if they are at a fair distance. But in the middle photo above there is one identifying mark of the winter male that is noteworthy. It is the yellow patch on his shoulder, which winter females do not have. The bottom photo is a winter female and although they do not show in this particular picture, her wing and tail feathers are also black and white, but appear somewhat paler. Surely, one the joys of a Canadian winter is having these lovely birds present each day.
Please comment if you wish.
BtheB
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