WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in North Dakota?

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

American Goldfinches are in North Dakota all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of May, peak in mid August (53% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (mid March) they are still on about 5.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMay 8-14the second week of May
PeakAug 15-21mid August
Fall back bySep 15-21mid September
FewestMar 15-21mid March

Best: mid August. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of May and fall back by mid September. Peak: on about 53% of North Dakota checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Marrare
  4. Apruncommon
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octuncommon
  11. Novrare
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%20%40%60%Jan 1-7: 8.3% of 1694 checklistsJan 8-14: 7.1% of 1210 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.6% of 1263 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.5% of 1984 checklistsFeb 1-7: 10% of 1209 checklistsFeb 8-14: 9.3% of 1307 checklistsFeb 15-21: 9.2% of 1655 checklistsFeb 22-28: 8.0% of 1619 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.0% of 1653 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.5% of 1818 checklistsMar 15-21: 6.2% of 2103 checklistsMar 22-31: 5.9% of 3714 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.2% of 2955 checklistsApr 8-14: 7.2% of 3550 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.8% of 4104 checklistsApr 22-30: 6.7% of 5712 checklistsMay 1-7: 13% of 5328 checklistsMay 8-14: 30% of 5885 checklistsMay 15-21: 47% of 5344 checklistsMay 22-31: 47% of 7512 checklistsJun 1-7: 36% of 4329 checklistsJun 8-14: 30% of 4287 checklistsJun 15-21: 32% of 3798 checklistsJun 22-30: 40% of 4361 checklistsJul 1-7: 43% of 2939 checklistsJul 8-14: 44% of 2407 checklistsJul 15-21: 45% of 2254 checklistsJul 22-31: 47% of 2852 checklistsAug 1-7: 48% of 2119 checklistsAug 8-14: 51% of 2044 checklistsAug 15-21: 54% of 2124 checklistsAug 22-31: 53% of 3168 checklistsSep 1-7: 45% of 2449 checklistsSep 8-14: 37% of 2310 checklistsSep 15-21: 32% of 2092 checklistsSep 22-30: 23% of 2565 checklistsOct 1-7: 14% of 2071 checklistsOct 8-14: 7.5% of 1918 checklistsOct 15-21: 4.2% of 1907 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.6% of 2589 checklistsNov 1-7: 8.6% of 1858 checklistsNov 8-14: 6.8% of 1753 checklistsNov 15-21: 7.6% of 1483 checklistsNov 22-30: 5.9% of 1928 checklistsDec 1-7: 4.4% of 1337 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.9% of 1309 checklistsDec 15-21: 8.0% of 1642 checklistsDec 22-31: 7.8% of 1830 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 North Dakota 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in North Dakota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Steele CountyBest late July · 136 checklists that week, 6,291 in all87%
  2. Bottineau CountyBest late August · 96 checklists that week, 1,949 in all81%
  3. Pembina CountyBest late July · 11 checklists that week, 585 in all75%
  4. Traill CountyBest early January · 10 checklists that week, 764 in all74%
  5. Oliver CountyBest mid August · 16 checklists that week, 776 in all73%
  6. Emmons CountyBest early July · 34 checklists that week, 687 in all73%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sakakawea Recreation Area (northwest)Mountrail County, best late May · 23 checklists that week, 595 in all95%
  2. Sertoma Park (southeast)Grand Forks County, best late August · 21 checklists that week, 403 in all93%
  3. Oak ParkWard County, best the second week of August · 24 checklists that week, 777 in all92%

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

Best time of day

In North Dakota, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (38% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (74) to judge1 am: too few checklists (45) to judge2 am: too few checklists (42) to judge3 am: too few checklists (68) to judge4 am: too few checklists (274) to judge5 am: too few checklists (1538) to judge6 am: 46% of 4242 checklists7 am: 34% of 9520 checklists8 am: 30% of 13065 checklists9 am: 26% of 13356 checklists10 am: 24% of 12128 checklists11 am: 22% of 10772 checklists12 pm: 21% of 10316 checklists1 pm: 19% of 9169 checklists2 pm: 19% of 8880 checklists3 pm: 18% of 8688 checklists4 pm: 17% of 8201 checklists5 pm: 20% of 6687 checklists6 pm: 23% of 5455 checklists7 pm: 25% of 3926 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2024) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (602) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (181) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (89) 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
January8.3%7.1%8.6%7.5%
February10%9.3%9.2%8.0%
March7.0%5.5%6.2%5.9%
April7.2%7.2%5.8%6.7%
May13%30%47%47%
June36%30%32%40%
July43%44%45%47%
August48%51%54%53%
September45%37%32%23%
October14%7.5%4.2%6.6%
November8.6%6.8%7.6%5.9%
December4.4%7.9%8.0%7.8%

Neighboring states

  • South Dakota: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than North Dakota
  • Minnesota: arrives early May, 1 week earlier than North Dakota
  • Nebraska: arrives late June, 6 weeks later than North Dakota
  • Iowa: arrives mid June, 5 weeks later than North Dakota

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in North Dakota?
American Goldfinches are in North Dakota all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from the second week of May, peak in mid August (53% of checklists), and fall back by mid September. In the quietest week (mid March) they are still on about 5.9% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave North Dakota?
American Goldfinches never fully leave North Dakota: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid September, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in North Dakota?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in mid August, on about 53% of North Dakota checklists.
Where in North Dakota are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Steele County, Bottineau County, and Pembina County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).