WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in New York?

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

American Goldfinches are in New York all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid April, peak in early August (56% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (the second week of March) they are still on about 20% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 15-21mid April
PeakAug 1-7early August
Fall back bySep 15-21mid September
FewestMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: early August. Here all year; numbers build from mid April and fall back by mid September. Peak: on about 56% of New York checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febcommon
  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%Jan 1-7: 21% of 66410 checklistsJan 8-14: 21% of 49310 checklistsJan 15-21: 20% of 49919 checklistsJan 22-31: 21% of 62513 checklistsFeb 1-7: 23% of 43526 checklistsFeb 8-14: 23% of 49753 checklistsFeb 15-21: 24% of 65147 checklistsFeb 22-28: 20% of 50173 checklistsMar 1-7: 20% of 50325 checklistsMar 8-14: 20% of 55371 checklistsMar 15-21: 20% of 56293 checklistsMar 22-31: 23% of 82677 checklistsApr 1-7: 27% of 65295 checklistsApr 8-14: 31% of 73080 checklistsApr 15-21: 37% of 73857 checklistsApr 22-30: 47% of 106093 checklistsMay 1-7: 51% of 102772 checklistsMay 8-14: 49% of 110051 checklistsMay 15-21: 44% of 94797 checklistsMay 22-31: 40% of 101272 checklistsJun 1-7: 39% of 59471 checklistsJun 8-14: 40% of 55497 checklistsJun 15-21: 43% of 51761 checklistsJun 22-30: 45% of 59219 checklistsJul 1-7: 49% of 48226 checklistsJul 8-14: 52% of 42315 checklistsJul 15-21: 54% of 40637 checklistsJul 22-31: 56% of 57183 checklistsAug 1-7: 56% of 40461 checklistsAug 8-14: 56% of 39880 checklistsAug 15-21: 55% of 41146 checklistsAug 22-31: 52% of 63381 checklistsSep 1-7: 45% of 48640 checklistsSep 8-14: 42% of 47882 checklistsSep 15-21: 39% of 49063 checklistsSep 22-30: 35% of 57906 checklistsOct 1-7: 32% of 48447 checklistsOct 8-14: 28% of 51901 checklistsOct 15-21: 26% of 46717 checklistsOct 22-31: 29% of 61992 checklistsNov 1-7: 34% of 44593 checklistsNov 8-14: 35% of 42566 checklistsNov 15-21: 35% of 39675 checklistsNov 22-30: 31% of 51197 checklistsDec 1-7: 29% of 36567 checklistsDec 8-14: 28% of 37254 checklistsDec 15-21: 26% of 43754 checklistsDec 22-31: 24% of 62470 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 York 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 York

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Montgomery CountyBest the second week of August · 236 checklists that week, 17,048 in all86%
  2. Livingston CountyBest early August · 392 checklists that week, 29,051 in all81%
  3. Chenango CountyBest the second week of August · 123 checklists that week, 10,785 in all77%
  4. Columbia CountyBest the second week of August · 351 checklists that week, 28,454 in all77%
  5. Washington CountyBest early August · 176 checklists that week, 15,060 in all77%
  6. Schuyler CountyBest the second week of August · 275 checklists that week, 12,381 in all76%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. County of Broome LandBroome County, best late July · 22 checklists that week, 1,235 in all100%
  2. Town of Shawangunk LandUlster County, best early August · 25 checklists that week, 1,221 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In New York, 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 (1146) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1055) to judge2 am: too few checklists (1121) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1353) to judge4 am: too few checklists (4785) to judge5 am: too few checklists (32052) to judge6 am: 55% of 124869 checklists7 am: 52% of 298506 checklists8 am: 46% of 337334 checklists9 am: 40% of 307787 checklists10 am: 35% of 270801 checklists11 am: 31% of 233238 checklists12 pm: 30% of 213830 checklists1 pm: 28% of 193321 checklists2 pm: 26% of 180741 checklists3 pm: 23% of 170348 checklists4 pm: 24% of 147224 checklists5 pm: 28% of 111962 checklists6 pm: 32% of 78261 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (44425) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (15648) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4795) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2454) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1378) 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
January21%21%20%21%
February23%23%24%20%
March20%20%20%23%
April27%31%37%47%
May51%49%44%40%
June39%40%43%45%
July49%52%54%56%
August56%56%55%52%
September45%42%39%35%
October32%28%26%29%
November34%35%35%31%
December29%28%26%24%

Neighboring states

  • Connecticut: arrives mid April, in the same week than New York
  • New Jersey: arrives early June, 6 weeks later than New York
  • Pennsylvania: arrives late June, 9 weeks later than New York
  • Vermont: arrives mid June, 8 weeks later than New York

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in New York?
American Goldfinches are in New York all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid April, peak in early August (56% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (the second week of March) they are still on about 20% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave New York?
American Goldfinches never fully leave New York: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid September, but some are still reported in every week, about 20% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in New York?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in early August, on about 56% of New York checklists.
Where in New York are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Montgomery County, Livingston County, and Chenango County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).