WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in New Jersey?

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

American Goldfinches are in New Jersey all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early June, peak in the second week of August (50% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of September. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 16% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJun 1-7early June
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Fall back bySep 8-14the second week of September
FewestMar 1-7early March

Best: the second week of August. Here all year; numbers build from early June and fall back by the second week of September. Peak: on about 50% of New Jersey checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  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%Jan 1-7: 17% of 28167 checklistsJan 8-14: 16% of 20583 checklistsJan 15-21: 17% of 19739 checklistsJan 22-31: 17% of 24586 checklistsFeb 1-7: 17% of 17226 checklistsFeb 8-14: 18% of 19567 checklistsFeb 15-21: 17% of 26553 checklistsFeb 22-28: 15% of 19046 checklistsMar 1-7: 16% of 17969 checklistsMar 8-14: 16% of 18976 checklistsMar 15-21: 18% of 18581 checklistsMar 22-31: 21% of 27590 checklistsApr 1-7: 26% of 21202 checklistsApr 8-14: 33% of 23609 checklistsApr 15-21: 41% of 25056 checklistsApr 22-30: 44% of 36679 checklistsMay 1-7: 42% of 38378 checklistsMay 8-14: 34% of 44071 checklistsMay 15-21: 32% of 34076 checklistsMay 22-31: 32% of 32558 checklistsJun 1-7: 33% of 18049 checklistsJun 8-14: 35% of 15597 checklistsJun 15-21: 34% of 14894 checklistsJun 22-30: 36% of 17187 checklistsJul 1-7: 40% of 13406 checklistsJul 8-14: 43% of 12550 checklistsJul 15-21: 46% of 12358 checklistsJul 22-31: 49% of 18382 checklistsAug 1-7: 51% of 13689 checklistsAug 8-14: 49% of 14006 checklistsAug 15-21: 50% of 14483 checklistsAug 22-31: 49% of 23182 checklistsSep 1-7: 42% of 17984 checklistsSep 8-14: 36% of 18320 checklistsSep 15-21: 32% of 20491 checklistsSep 22-30: 28% of 26176 checklistsOct 1-7: 25% of 24112 checklistsOct 8-14: 26% of 24603 checklistsOct 15-21: 25% of 24549 checklistsOct 22-31: 27% of 26206 checklistsNov 1-7: 31% of 17469 checklistsNov 8-14: 34% of 15102 checklistsNov 15-21: 33% of 14958 checklistsNov 22-30: 30% of 19447 checklistsDec 1-7: 28% of 14017 checklistsDec 8-14: 25% of 14625 checklistsDec 15-21: 25% of 16937 checklistsDec 22-31: 19% of 26651 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Hunterdon CountyBest early August · 854 checklists that week, 57,610 in all76%
  2. Warren CountyBest the second week of August · 315 checklists that week, 20,077 in all74%
  3. Sussex CountyBest the second week of August · 371 checklists that week, 30,305 in all71%
  4. Morris CountyBest the second week of August · 757 checklists that week, 59,212 in all66%
  5. Mercer CountyBest early August · 794 checklists that week, 56,614 in all65%
  6. Somerset CountyBest the second week of August · 776 checklists that week, 58,057 in all62%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Paulinskill River Wildlife Management AreaSussex County, best the second week of July · 20 checklists that week, 1,041 in all98%
  2. Fairview Farm Wildlife PreserveSomerset County, best late July · 36 checklists that week, 1,451 in all97%
  3. Clinton Wildlife Management AreaHunterdon County, best late August · 33 checklists that week, 347 in all97%
  4. Memorial Park (Pine Grove)Burlington County, best the second week of September · 20 checklists that week, 487 in all97%
  5. West Essex ParkEssex County, best late August · 43 checklists that week, 1,556 in all96%

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

Best time of day

In New Jersey, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (46% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (746) to judge1 am: too few checklists (640) to judge2 am: too few checklists (606) to judge3 am: too few checklists (755) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1681) to judge5 am: too few checklists (11258) to judge6 am: 51% of 50447 checklists7 am: 44% of 118312 checklists8 am: 39% of 123273 checklists9 am: 35% of 107783 checklists10 am: 29% of 97537 checklists11 am: 25% of 82427 checklists12 pm: 23% of 72581 checklists1 pm: 22% of 71478 checklists2 pm: 21% of 69994 checklists3 pm: 18% of 66822 checklists4 pm: 19% of 55950 checklists5 pm: 23% of 41360 checklists6 pm: 25% of 28122 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (14727) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (4257) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (1273) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (920) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (693) 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
January17%16%17%17%
February17%18%17%15%
March16%16%18%21%
April26%33%41%44%
May42%34%32%32%
June33%35%34%36%
July40%43%46%49%
August51%49%50%49%
September42%36%32%28%
October25%26%25%27%
November31%34%33%30%
December28%25%25%19%

Neighboring states

  • Delaware: arrives the second week of April, 7 weeks earlier than New Jersey
  • Connecticut: arrives mid April, 6 weeks earlier than New Jersey
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late June, 3 weeks later than New Jersey
  • New York: arrives mid April, 6 weeks earlier than New Jersey

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in New Jersey?
American Goldfinches are in New Jersey all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from early June, peak in the second week of August (50% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of September. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 16% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave New Jersey?
American Goldfinches never fully leave New Jersey: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of September, but some are still reported in every week, about 16% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in New Jersey?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 50% of New Jersey checklists.
Where in New Jersey are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Hunterdon County, Warren County, and Sussex County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).