It takes a little longer to identify American Goldfinches at birdfeeders in the fall and winter because they molt in September and October and become much more inconspicuous. The beautiful, bright-yellow males are hard to miss in the summer:
But they replace all their feathers and transform into a drab olive-brown in the fall:
Considering that each goldfinch loses all of its feathers each fall, I find it amazing that after decades of birdwatching I’ve never come upon a single goldfinch feather before—well, until now:
In the midst of my bulb-planting frenzy last week I noticed something strange on my trowel. I flicked it off at first, but the golden shaft caught my eye as it drifted to the ground. A feather! I wiped most of the soil from it and then flipped it around for a better look. It’s definitely an American Goldfinch feather:
The birds will keep their wing and tail feathers for another year, but beginning next March, they will go through a partial-molt by growing new body feathers. By May the males will once again be a flashy yellow color so they can attract a suitable lady.
