WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

American Goldfinch: When and Where to See It

Adult American Goldfinch
Photo: Andy Wilson, CC0 1.0 via iNaturalist

The American Goldfinch reaches Massachusetts first, around the second week of April, and Colorado last, around late June.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 19% of 1114036 checklistsJan 8-14: 18% of 824708 checklistsJan 15-21: 18% of 825978 checklistsJan 22-31: 18% of 1105853 checklistsFeb 1-7: 18% of 779772 checklistsFeb 8-14: 19% of 864504 checklistsFeb 15-21: 20% of 1127933 checklistsFeb 22-28: 16% of 840124 checklistsMar 1-7: 16% of 839610 checklistsMar 8-14: 15% of 870138 checklistsMar 15-21: 16% of 898456 checklistsMar 22-31: 18% of 1335637 checklistsApr 1-7: 21% of 1030617 checklistsApr 8-14: 24% of 1124024 checklistsApr 15-21: 27% of 1194575 checklistsApr 22-30: 31% of 1675723 checklistsMay 1-7: 35% of 1449080 checklistsMay 8-14: 35% of 1538353 checklistsMay 15-21: 32% of 1219898 checklistsMay 22-31: 29% of 1452282 checklistsJun 1-7: 27% of 900636 checklistsJun 8-14: 27% of 829907 checklistsJun 15-21: 28% of 773255 checklistsJun 22-30: 29% of 916255 checklistsJul 1-7: 32% of 717733 checklistsJul 8-14: 33% of 658223 checklistsJul 15-21: 35% of 638752 checklistsJul 22-31: 36% of 895727 checklistsAug 1-7: 36% of 655651 checklistsAug 8-14: 36% of 650038 checklistsAug 15-21: 37% of 654639 checklistsAug 22-31: 36% of 974928 checklistsSep 1-7: 33% of 765914 checklistsSep 8-14: 30% of 738674 checklistsSep 15-21: 27% of 750433 checklistsSep 22-30: 24% of 944196 checklistsOct 1-7: 22% of 760106 checklistsOct 8-14: 20% of 793131 checklistsOct 15-21: 19% of 728727 checklistsOct 22-31: 20% of 959954 checklistsNov 1-7: 23% of 709464 checklistsNov 8-14: 22% of 693424 checklistsNov 15-21: 23% of 653952 checklistsNov 22-30: 22% of 871137 checklistsDec 1-7: 21% of 627591 checklistsDec 8-14: 21% of 642427 checklistsDec 15-21: 21% of 775638 checklistsDec 22-31: 19% of 1132751 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Pooled across every state in the data, so it leans toward states with the most birders.

States, in order of first arrivals

StatePatternFirst arrivalsPeakMost gone byPeak %
District of ColumbiaAll year, most in springApr 1-7Apr 22-30Jun 1-747%
MassachusettsAll year, most in summerApr 8-14Aug 8-14Sep 8-1461%
MarylandAll year, most in summerApr 8-14Aug 8-14Sep 15-2157%
Rhode IslandAll year, most in summerApr 8-14Aug 1-7Sep 15-2155%
DelawareAll year, most in summerApr 8-14Aug 15-21Sep 15-2150%
ConnecticutAll year, most in summerApr 15-21Aug 8-14Sep 15-2161%
New YorkAll year, most in summerApr 15-21Aug 1-7Sep 15-2156%
WashingtonAll year, most in summerApr 15-21Jul 8-14Sep 8-1432%
OregonAll year, most in summerApr 22-30May 8-14Oct 15-2125%
MinnesotaAll year, most in summerMay 1-7Aug 8-14Sep 22-3060%
South DakotaAll year, most in summerMay 1-7Aug 8-14Sep 1-735%
North DakotaAll year, most in summerMay 8-14Aug 15-21Sep 15-2153%
WyomingAll year, most in springMay 8-14May 15-21Jun 1-724%
MontanaAll year, most in summerMay 15-21Aug 8-14Sep 15-2126%
OhioAll year, most in summerMay 22-31Aug 8-14Sep 22-3065%
New JerseyAll year, most in summerJun 1-7Aug 8-14Sep 8-1450%
IowaAll year, most in summerJun 15-21Aug 15-21Oct 1-766%
IllinoisAll year, most in fallJun 15-21Aug 8-14Nov 8-1463%
VermontAll year, most in summerJun 15-21Aug 8-14Sep 8-1463%
IndianaAll year, most in fallJun 15-21Aug 8-14Nov 8-1460%
WisconsinAll year, most in summerJun 22-30Aug 8-14Oct 1-765%
PennsylvaniaAll year, most in summerJun 22-30Aug 8-14Sep 22-3063%
West VirginiaAll year, most in summerJun 22-30Aug 8-14Sep 15-2161%
NebraskaAll year, most in summerJun 22-30Aug 15-21Sep 8-1450%
ColoradoAll year, most in summerJun 22-30Aug 8-14Sep 8-1426%
MississippiWinter visitorNov 1-7Feb 8-14Apr 8-1428%
TexasWinter visitorNov 1-7Feb 8-14Mar 15-2119%
ArkansasAll year, most in winterNov 8-14Feb 8-14May 1-733%
LouisianaWinter visitorNov 8-14Jan 22-31Mar 15-2131%
OklahomaAll year, most in winterNov 8-14Dec 8-14Mar 8-1428%
FloridaWinter visitorNov 8-14Jan 8-14Apr 1-76.9%
South CarolinaAll year, most in winterNov 15-21Feb 8-14Apr 22-3024%
AlabamaAll year, most in winterNov 22-30Feb 8-14Apr 1-731%
New MexicoWinter visitorJul 22-31Nov 22-30May 15-217.6%
NevadaWinter visitorSep 1-7Dec 1-7May 8-148.0%
MaineYear-round–May 8-14–58%
New HampshireYear-round–Aug 8-14–57%
MichiganYear-round–Aug 8-14–56%
VirginiaYear-round–Aug 8-14–55%
KentuckyYear-round–Aug 8-14–55%
MissouriYear-round–Aug 22-31–49%
TennesseeYear-round–Aug 1-7–45%
North CarolinaYear-round–Aug 15-21–42%
KansasYear-round–Aug 15-21–41%
GeorgiaYear-round–Aug 15-21–31%
IdahoYear-round–Aug 1-7–27%
UtahYear-round–Nov 15-21–15%
CaliforniaYear-round–Apr 15-21–9.2%

Winter visitor in: Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina, Alabama, New Mexico, Nevada

Passes through: District of Columbia, Wyoming

Summer visitor in: Oregon