WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Illinois?

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

American Goldfinches are in Illinois all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid June, peak in the second week of August (63% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of November. In the quietest week (the second week of March) they are still on about 18% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJun 15-21mid June
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Fall back byNov 8-14the second week of November
FewestMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: the second week of August. Here all year; numbers build from mid June and fall back by the second week of November. Peak: on about 63% of Illinois checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  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: 26% of 29700 checklistsJan 8-14: 26% of 20189 checklistsJan 15-21: 25% of 19784 checklistsJan 22-31: 24% of 26641 checklistsFeb 1-7: 23% of 20478 checklistsFeb 8-14: 24% of 21967 checklistsFeb 15-21: 24% of 28735 checklistsFeb 22-28: 18% of 24223 checklistsMar 1-7: 17% of 26775 checklistsMar 8-14: 17% of 27579 checklistsMar 15-21: 18% of 27193 checklistsMar 22-31: 19% of 42278 checklistsApr 1-7: 22% of 34579 checklistsApr 8-14: 28% of 38290 checklistsApr 15-21: 32% of 39261 checklistsApr 22-30: 40% of 59584 checklistsMay 1-7: 49% of 60485 checklistsMay 8-14: 50% of 59647 checklistsMay 15-21: 48% of 43173 checklistsMay 22-31: 44% of 47913 checklistsJun 1-7: 37% of 31151 checklistsJun 8-14: 39% of 27692 checklistsJun 15-21: 42% of 23983 checklistsJun 22-30: 44% of 28448 checklistsJul 1-7: 52% of 21273 checklistsJul 8-14: 54% of 19284 checklistsJul 15-21: 57% of 17712 checklistsJul 22-31: 60% of 24500 checklistsAug 1-7: 62% of 18498 checklistsAug 8-14: 63% of 19331 checklistsAug 15-21: 63% of 19983 checklistsAug 22-31: 59% of 31892 checklistsSep 1-7: 55% of 26396 checklistsSep 8-14: 50% of 25011 checklistsSep 15-21: 46% of 23597 checklistsSep 22-30: 45% of 30638 checklistsOct 1-7: 45% of 23949 checklistsOct 8-14: 43% of 24412 checklistsOct 15-21: 43% of 22359 checklistsOct 22-31: 42% of 29794 checklistsNov 1-7: 44% of 21877 checklistsNov 8-14: 40% of 19742 checklistsNov 15-21: 37% of 18989 checklistsNov 22-30: 34% of 23905 checklistsDec 1-7: 31% of 16935 checklistsDec 8-14: 29% of 16687 checklistsDec 15-21: 30% of 20931 checklistsDec 22-31: 29% of 29011 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 Illinois 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 Illinois

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Monroe CountyBest the second week of November · 17 checklists that week, 2,547 in all83%
  2. Grundy CountyBest mid August · 69 checklists that week, 5,050 in all82%
  3. Wabash CountyBest the second week of September · 15 checklists that week, 602 in all80%
  4. Putnam CountyBest early August · 81 checklists that week, 3,333 in all80%
  5. Winnebago CountyBest mid August · 252 checklists that week, 18,333 in all79%
  6. Lee CountyBest the second week of August · 67 checklists that week, 6,175 in all79%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Heritage ParkChampaign County, best the second week of May · 31 checklists that week, 379 in all100%
  2. Tawny Oaks Field StationPeoria County, best late August · 35 checklists that week, 990 in all100%
  3. Dead LakeLake County, best early September · 33 checklists that week, 1,516 in all99%
  4. Leroy Oaks County Forest PreserveKane County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 888 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Illinois, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (53% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (484) to judge1 am: too few checklists (631) to judge2 am: too few checklists (485) to judge3 am: too few checklists (610) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2321) to judge5 am: too few checklists (23536) to judge6 am: 54% of 95511 checklists7 am: 53% of 164584 checklists8 am: 47% of 163654 checklists9 am: 42% of 141804 checklists10 am: 37% of 122882 checklists11 am: 34% of 100640 checklists12 pm: 32% of 89894 checklists1 pm: 31% of 82729 checklists2 pm: 29% of 79801 checklists3 pm: 25% of 82169 checklists4 pm: 26% of 75124 checklists5 pm: 30% of 57708 checklists6 pm: 30% of 41843 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (20943) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (6131) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1677) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (843) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (448) 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
January26%26%25%24%
February23%24%24%18%
March17%17%18%19%
April22%28%32%40%
May49%50%48%44%
June37%39%42%44%
July52%54%57%60%
August62%63%63%59%
September55%50%46%45%
October45%43%43%42%
November44%40%37%34%
December31%29%30%29%

Neighboring states

  • Indiana: arrives mid June, in the same week than Illinois
  • Wisconsin: arrives late June, 1 week later than Illinois
  • Michigan: year-round, peaks the second week of August
  • Iowa: arrives mid June, in the same week than Illinois

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Illinois?
American Goldfinches are in Illinois all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from mid June, peak in the second week of August (63% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of November. In the quietest week (the second week of March) they are still on about 18% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave Illinois?
American Goldfinches never fully leave Illinois: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of November, but some are still reported in every week, about 18% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in Illinois?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 63% of Illinois checklists.
Where in Illinois are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Monroe County, Grundy County, and Wabash County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).