WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Ohio?

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

American Goldfinches are in Ohio all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late May, peak in the second week of August (65% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 20% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildMay 22-31late May
PeakAug 8-14the second week of August
Fall back bySep 22-30late September
FewestMar 1-7early March

Best: the second week of August. Here all year; numbers build from late May and fall back by late September. Peak: on about 65% of Ohio checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  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%80%Jan 1-7: 27% of 46637 checklistsJan 8-14: 28% of 31056 checklistsJan 15-21: 27% of 30129 checklistsJan 22-31: 26% of 38665 checklistsFeb 1-7: 26% of 27203 checklistsFeb 8-14: 27% of 30626 checklistsFeb 15-21: 28% of 40705 checklistsFeb 22-28: 20% of 31391 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 32914 checklistsMar 8-14: 20% of 33973 checklistsMar 15-21: 21% of 33678 checklistsMar 22-31: 27% of 49889 checklistsApr 1-7: 33% of 41225 checklistsApr 8-14: 39% of 47174 checklistsApr 15-21: 46% of 47017 checklistsApr 22-30: 52% of 73055 checklistsMay 1-7: 47% of 80637 checklistsMay 8-14: 41% of 102552 checklistsMay 15-21: 41% of 64582 checklistsMay 22-31: 44% of 52766 checklistsJun 1-7: 45% of 29279 checklistsJun 8-14: 48% of 25773 checklistsJun 15-21: 50% of 23163 checklistsJun 22-30: 53% of 27794 checklistsJul 1-7: 56% of 23334 checklistsJul 8-14: 60% of 22147 checklistsJul 15-21: 62% of 20998 checklistsJul 22-31: 64% of 29749 checklistsAug 1-7: 65% of 22899 checklistsAug 8-14: 66% of 21972 checklistsAug 15-21: 64% of 22215 checklistsAug 22-31: 61% of 35087 checklistsSep 1-7: 56% of 29148 checklistsSep 8-14: 52% of 28042 checklistsSep 15-21: 49% of 26751 checklistsSep 22-30: 44% of 32398 checklistsOct 1-7: 41% of 26209 checklistsOct 8-14: 38% of 26809 checklistsOct 15-21: 36% of 23504 checklistsOct 22-31: 37% of 33269 checklistsNov 1-7: 41% of 25563 checklistsNov 8-14: 38% of 23810 checklistsNov 15-21: 35% of 22127 checklistsNov 22-30: 34% of 29449 checklistsDec 1-7: 32% of 22370 checklistsDec 8-14: 32% of 21581 checklistsDec 15-21: 33% of 24232 checklistsDec 22-31: 31% of 36084 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 Ohio 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 Ohio

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Monroe CountyBest late January · 31 checklists that week, 1,141 in all87%
  2. Mahoning CountyBest mid August · 244 checklists that week, 14,421 in all82%
  3. Marion CountyBest mid August · 265 checklists that week, 14,246 in all80%
  4. Medina CountyBest the second week of August · 324 checklists that week, 23,697 in all80%
  5. Perry CountyBest early September · 178 checklists that week, 6,489 in all79%
  6. Brown CountyBest mid August · 30 checklists that week, 1,793 in all78%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Frohring MeadowsGeauga County, best mid August · 21 checklists that week, 1,610 in all100%
  2. Hoover Community Rec ComplexStark County, best mid July · 29 checklists that week, 1,912 in all99%
  3. Huffman Prairie National Historic LandmarkGreene County, best late July · 92 checklists that week, 2,445 in all99%
  4. Oakes Quarry ParkGreene County, best mid July · 27 checklists that week, 724 in all98%

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

Best time of day

In Ohio, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (58% of those checklists).

0%20%40%60%12 am: too few checklists (574) to judge1 am: too few checklists (609) to judge2 am: too few checklists (466) to judge3 am: too few checklists (478) to judge4 am: too few checklists (662) to judge5 am: too few checklists (4366) to judge6 am: 58% of 43093 checklists7 am: 58% of 142017 checklists8 am: 52% of 205296 checklists9 am: 46% of 196322 checklists10 am: 41% of 170882 checklists11 am: 38% of 144567 checklists12 pm: 35% of 126551 checklists1 pm: 33% of 117855 checklists2 pm: 31% of 112869 checklists3 pm: 30% of 109786 checklists4 pm: 28% of 103116 checklists5 pm: 32% of 78409 checklists6 pm: 36% of 56785 checklists7 pm: 35% of 37923 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (14954) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2710) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (854) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (486) 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
January27%28%27%26%
February26%27%28%20%
March19%20%21%27%
April33%39%46%52%
May47%41%41%44%
June45%48%50%53%
July56%60%62%64%
August65%66%64%61%
September56%52%49%44%
October41%38%36%37%
November41%38%35%34%
December32%32%33%31%

Neighboring states

  • West Virginia: arrives late June, 4 weeks later than Ohio
  • Indiana: arrives mid June, 3 weeks later than Ohio
  • Michigan: year-round, peaks the second week of August
  • Kentucky: year-round, peaks the second week of August

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Ohio?
American Goldfinches are in Ohio all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late May, peak in the second week of August (65% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 20% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave Ohio?
American Goldfinches never fully leave Ohio: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late 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 Ohio?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 65% of Ohio checklists.
Where in Ohio are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Monroe County, Mahoning County, and Marion County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).