Listen to the American goldfinch
Tip: press play to see the sound's live frequency spectrum in blue over the waveform.
About the American goldfinch
The American goldfinch is a bird in the family Fringillidae (order Passeriformes). Its conservation status on the IUCN Red List is “least concern”.
What does the American goldfinch sound like?
Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once. Songs tend to be long and patterned and are used to hold territory and attract a mate; calls are short signals for contact, alarm and flight.
The recordings here are labelled as song, flight call and call. Listen for differences in rhythm, pitch and repetition – the spectrum display makes it easy to see whether a sound is a pure whistle (a thin line), a harsh call (a broad band) or a trill (rapid repeated marks).
From Wikipedia
The American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is a small North American bird in the finch family. It is migratory, ranging from mid-Alberta to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canada–United States border to Mexico during the winter.
The only finch in its subfamily to undergo a complete molt, the American goldfinch displays sexual dichromatism: the male is a vibrant yellow in the summer and an olive color during the winter, while the female is a dull yellow-brown shade which brightens only slightly during the summer. The male displays brightly colored plumage during the breeding season to attract a mate.
Related birds in the genus Spinus
More from the family Fringillidae
European goldfinch
Carduelis carduelis
Eurasian bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhula
Eurasian chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
Common linnet
Linaria cannabina
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustes
European greenfinch
Chloris chloris
Red crossbill
Loxia curvirostra
Brambling
Fringilla montifringilla
Common rosefinch
Carpodacus erythrinus
Frequently asked questions
What does an American goldfinch sound like?
You can hear 5 recordings of the American goldfinch on this page, including its song, flight call and call. Birds produce sound with the syrinx, a vocal organ deep in the chest that can make two independent sounds at once.
Is the American goldfinch endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the American goldfinch as “least concern”.
What family does the American goldfinch belong to?
The American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) belongs to the family Fringillidae in the order Passeriformes.
Sources & credits
- 30goldfinch by Fish and Wildlife Service – Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Vancouver Island (near Oliver Woods Centre Pond), Nanaimo… by Kevin Hood – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Flight call · Isleton, Contra Costa County, California, United States by radrat – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Song · Glacial Lakes State Park, Pope County, Minnesota, United… by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Call · Grey Cloud Dunes SNA, Washington, Minnesota, United States by Jonathon Jongsma – CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
- Wikidata Q27075861 – CC0
- Wikipedia: American goldfinch – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Photo by Mdf – CC BY-SA 3.0