WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Iowa?

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

American Goldfinches are in Iowa all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid June, peak in mid August (66% of checklists), and fall back by early October. In the quietest week (the second week of March) they are still on about 13% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJun 15-21mid June
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Fall back byOct 1-7early October
FewestMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: mid August. Here all year; numbers build from mid June and fall back by early October. Peak: on about 66% of Iowa checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%20%40%60%80%Jan 1-7: 23% of 5551 checklistsJan 8-14: 22% of 3498 checklistsJan 15-21: 22% of 3803 checklistsJan 22-31: 22% of 4807 checklistsFeb 1-7: 20% of 3613 checklistsFeb 8-14: 23% of 4173 checklistsFeb 15-21: 24% of 5796 checklistsFeb 22-28: 16% of 4394 checklistsMar 1-7: 14% of 5295 checklistsMar 8-14: 13% of 5679 checklistsMar 15-21: 13% of 5418 checklistsMar 22-31: 14% of 8613 checklistsApr 1-7: 16% of 6970 checklistsApr 8-14: 19% of 7511 checklistsApr 15-21: 24% of 8321 checklistsApr 22-30: 36% of 11976 checklistsMay 1-7: 50% of 11725 checklistsMay 8-14: 51% of 12626 checklistsMay 15-21: 47% of 9372 checklistsMay 22-31: 44% of 10330 checklistsJun 1-7: 39% of 5472 checklistsJun 8-14: 39% of 4568 checklistsJun 15-21: 41% of 3870 checklistsJun 22-30: 45% of 4780 checklistsJul 1-7: 48% of 4201 checklistsJul 8-14: 52% of 3605 checklistsJul 15-21: 57% of 3621 checklistsJul 22-31: 58% of 5093 checklistsAug 1-7: 60% of 3931 checklistsAug 8-14: 65% of 3488 checklistsAug 15-21: 68% of 3802 checklistsAug 22-31: 67% of 6293 checklistsSep 1-7: 60% of 5328 checklistsSep 8-14: 53% of 4622 checklistsSep 15-21: 48% of 4367 checklistsSep 22-30: 45% of 6086 checklistsOct 1-7: 42% of 4708 checklistsOct 8-14: 39% of 4791 checklistsOct 15-21: 37% of 4429 checklistsOct 22-31: 39% of 5633 checklistsNov 1-7: 37% of 4090 checklistsNov 8-14: 30% of 3416 checklistsNov 15-21: 26% of 3398 checklistsNov 22-30: 26% of 4679 checklistsDec 1-7: 25% of 3442 checklistsDec 8-14: 24% of 3322 checklistsDec 15-21: 24% of 4619 checklistsDec 22-31: 23% of 5113 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 Iowa 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 Iowa

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Mitchell CountyBest the second week of August · 12 checklists that week, 660 in all97%
  2. Louisa CountyBest the second week of July · 15 checklists that week, 1,639 in all88%
  3. Shelby CountyBest late July · 10 checklists that week, 354 in all87%
  4. Ringgold CountyBest the second week of August · 20 checklists that week, 1,141 in all86%
  5. Butler CountyBest the second week of August · 24 checklists that week, 1,570 in all86%
  6. Poweshiek CountyBest the second week of August · 20 checklists that week, 1,402 in all86%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Ada Hayden Heritage ParkStory County, best mid August · 34 checklists that week, 1,681 in all98%
  2. Greenwood ParkPolk County, best mid August · 21 checklists that week, 730 in all98%
  3. Carr ParkStory County, best late August · 60 checklists that week, 1,200 in all98%
  4. John Deere MarshDubuque County, best the second week of August · 28 checklists that week, 1,952 in all97%
  5. McFarland Park - Skunk River GreenbeltStory County, best late June · 21 checklists that week, 723 in all96%
  6. Saylorville Recreation Area (southeast)Polk County, best mid August · 23 checklists that week, 867 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In Iowa, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (52% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (96) to judge1 am: too few checklists (99) to judge2 am: too few checklists (67) to judge3 am: too few checklists (82) to judge4 am: too few checklists (201) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1888) to judge6 am: 55% of 11313 checklists7 am: 50% of 25717 checklists8 am: 45% of 29755 checklists9 am: 40% of 28897 checklists10 am: 35% of 26343 checklists11 am: 33% of 21210 checklists12 pm: 31% of 17662 checklists1 pm: 30% of 16595 checklists2 pm: 28% of 16405 checklists3 pm: 26% of 17030 checklists4 pm: 26% of 17378 checklists5 pm: 32% of 14251 checklists6 pm: 34% of 10349 checklists7 pm: 31% of 6233 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2002) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (392) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (186) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (87) 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
January23%22%22%22%
February20%23%24%16%
March14%13%13%14%
April16%19%24%36%
May50%51%47%44%
June39%39%41%45%
July48%52%57%58%
August60%65%68%67%
September60%53%48%45%
October42%39%37%39%
November37%30%26%26%
December25%24%24%23%

Neighboring states

  • Missouri: year-round, peaks late August
  • Wisconsin: arrives late June, 1 week later than Iowa
  • Minnesota: arrives early May, 6 weeks earlier than Iowa
  • Illinois: arrives mid June, in the same week than Iowa

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Iowa?
American Goldfinches are in Iowa all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid June, peak in mid August (66% of checklists), and fall back by early October. In the quietest week (the second week of March) they are still on about 13% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave Iowa?
American Goldfinches never fully leave Iowa: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by early October, but some are still reported in every week, about 13% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in Iowa?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in mid August, on about 66% of Iowa checklists.
Where in Iowa are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Mitchell County, Louisa County, and Shelby County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).