WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Connecticut?

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

American Goldfinches are in Connecticut all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid April, peak in the second week of August (61% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 19% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 15-21mid April
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Fall back bySep 15-21mid September
FewestJan 15-21mid January

Best: the second week of August. Here all year; numbers build from mid April and fall back by mid September. Peak: on about 61% of Connecticut checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 20% of 18950 checklistsJan 8-14: 19% of 13676 checklistsJan 15-21: 20% of 13377 checklistsJan 22-31: 19% of 17004 checklistsFeb 1-7: 21% of 10218 checklistsFeb 8-14: 23% of 11568 checklistsFeb 15-21: 26% of 15916 checklistsFeb 22-28: 22% of 11413 checklistsMar 1-7: 21% of 10754 checklistsMar 8-14: 20% of 12051 checklistsMar 15-21: 21% of 12616 checklistsMar 22-31: 25% of 17801 checklistsApr 1-7: 32% of 13186 checklistsApr 8-14: 40% of 14428 checklistsApr 15-21: 47% of 14738 checklistsApr 22-30: 54% of 21753 checklistsMay 1-7: 55% of 22494 checklistsMay 8-14: 50% of 23363 checklistsMay 15-21: 44% of 20219 checklistsMay 22-31: 42% of 20778 checklistsJun 1-7: 41% of 12234 checklistsJun 8-14: 44% of 12491 checklistsJun 15-21: 44% of 10856 checklistsJun 22-30: 46% of 11964 checklistsJul 1-7: 50% of 9437 checklistsJul 8-14: 54% of 8599 checklistsJul 15-21: 58% of 8252 checklistsJul 22-31: 59% of 11329 checklistsAug 1-7: 60% of 8116 checklistsAug 8-14: 61% of 8051 checklistsAug 15-21: 62% of 8502 checklistsAug 22-31: 59% of 13673 checklistsSep 1-7: 52% of 9873 checklistsSep 8-14: 46% of 9735 checklistsSep 15-21: 40% of 10120 checklistsSep 22-30: 36% of 12543 checklistsOct 1-7: 34% of 10735 checklistsOct 8-14: 30% of 10869 checklistsOct 15-21: 29% of 10436 checklistsOct 22-31: 29% of 13808 checklistsNov 1-7: 33% of 10507 checklistsNov 8-14: 33% of 9827 checklistsNov 15-21: 33% of 9904 checklistsNov 22-30: 32% of 13396 checklistsDec 1-7: 30% of 8974 checklistsDec 8-14: 27% of 9468 checklistsDec 15-21: 28% of 11614 checklistsDec 22-31: 23% of 16616 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Connecticut that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

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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Where in Connecticut

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Litchfield CountyBest the second week of August · 1107 checklists that week, 69,766 in all79%
  2. Windham CountyBest the second week of August · 287 checklists that week, 19,034 in all73%
  3. Tolland CountyBest late July · 624 checklists that week, 39,004 in all70%
  4. New London CountyBest early August · 871 checklists that week, 65,205 in all66%
  5. Hartford CountyBest mid August · 1407 checklists that week, 105,735 in all62%
  6. Middlesex CountyBest the second week of August · 513 checklists that week, 39,919 in all61%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Westmoor ParkHartford County, best the second week of September · 31 checklists that week, 1,091 in all100%
  2. Fitzgerald PropertyNew Haven County, best late August · 39 checklists that week, 724 in all99%
  3. Game Farm PondNew Haven County, best early September · 26 checklists that week, 1,312 in all99%
  4. Tyler Mill (town Open Space) (Tamarac Swamp)New Haven County, best early October · 24 checklists that week, 131 in all98%
  5. Sasco CreekFairfield County, best early September · 29 checklists that week, 899 in all98%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Connecticut, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (54% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (325) to judge1 am: too few checklists (367) to judge2 am: too few checklists (488) to judge3 am: too few checklists (792) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2722) to judge5 am: too few checklists (9489) to judge6 am: 54% of 33657 checklists7 am: 53% of 62964 checklists8 am: 48% of 70645 checklists9 am: 41% of 64870 checklists10 am: 36% of 58827 checklists11 am: 31% of 51689 checklists12 pm: 30% of 45288 checklists1 pm: 28% of 44765 checklists2 pm: 27% of 44173 checklists3 pm: 25% of 41979 checklists4 pm: 28% of 33219 checklists5 pm: 36% of 24828 checklists6 pm: 36% of 15856 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (8126) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (1994) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (533) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (349) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (286) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January20%19%20%19%
February21%23%26%22%
March21%20%21%25%
April32%40%47%54%
May55%50%44%42%
June41%44%44%46%
July50%54%58%59%
August60%61%62%59%
September52%46%40%36%
October34%30%29%29%
November33%33%33%32%
December30%27%28%23%

Neighboring states

  • Rhode Island: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than Connecticut
  • Massachusetts: arrives the second week of April, 1 week earlier than Connecticut
  • New Jersey: arrives early June, 6 weeks later than Connecticut
  • New York: arrives mid April, in the same week than Connecticut

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Connecticut?
American Goldfinches are in Connecticut all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid April, peak in the second week of August (61% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (mid January) they are still on about 19% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave Connecticut?
American Goldfinches never fully leave Connecticut: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid September, but some are still reported in every week, about 19% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in Connecticut?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 61% of Connecticut checklists.
Where in Connecticut are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Litchfield County, Windham County, and Tolland County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).