A Change of Clothes

by Em
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These birds may look like they are two separate species, but the difference is merely a change of clothes. American Goldfinches molt completely (shed their feathers and grow new ones) in both spring and fall.

In spring the males grow new, brilliant-yellow feathers just in time for breeding season. In the fall they lose those bright feathers and grow new ones in olive and gray which helps them hide from winter predators.

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