WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Oklahoma?

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

American Goldfinches are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of November, peak in the second week of December (28% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of March. In the quietest week (the second week of June) they are still on about 6.9% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildNov 8-14the second week of November
PeakDec 8-14the second week of December
Fall back byMar 8-14the second week of March
FewestJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: the second week of December. Here all year; numbers build from the second week of November and fall back by the second week of March. Peak: on about 28% of Oklahoma checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprcommon
  5. Maycommon
  6. Jununcommon
  7. Juluncommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Decpeak season

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 26% of 6087 checklistsJan 8-14: 26% of 4350 checklistsJan 15-21: 27% of 4381 checklistsJan 22-31: 24% of 6165 checklistsFeb 1-7: 24% of 4259 checklistsFeb 8-14: 29% of 4589 checklistsFeb 15-21: 26% of 7001 checklistsFeb 22-28: 22% of 4482 checklistsMar 1-7: 19% of 4724 checklistsMar 8-14: 19% of 4571 checklistsMar 15-21: 18% of 4393 checklistsMar 22-31: 15% of 7544 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 5967 checklistsApr 8-14: 14% of 6543 checklistsApr 15-21: 15% of 7366 checklistsApr 22-30: 17% of 10618 checklistsMay 1-7: 17% of 8835 checklistsMay 8-14: 14% of 8247 checklistsMay 15-21: 11% of 6081 checklistsMay 22-31: 7.6% of 7283 checklistsJun 1-7: 7.2% of 4256 checklistsJun 8-14: 6.4% of 3774 checklistsJun 15-21: 7.1% of 3541 checklistsJun 22-30: 7.6% of 4159 checklistsJul 1-7: 8.9% of 3209 checklistsJul 8-14: 8.2% of 2916 checklistsJul 15-21: 8.7% of 2861 checklistsJul 22-31: 7.9% of 4146 checklistsAug 1-7: 10% of 3043 checklistsAug 8-14: 9.1% of 2839 checklistsAug 15-21: 11% of 3014 checklistsAug 22-31: 13% of 4759 checklistsSep 1-7: 12% of 3861 checklistsSep 8-14: 11% of 3748 checklistsSep 15-21: 8.9% of 3569 checklistsSep 22-30: 7.7% of 4830 checklistsOct 1-7: 8.1% of 3809 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.4% of 4142 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.9% of 3705 checklistsOct 22-31: 9.6% of 4738 checklistsNov 1-7: 17% of 3823 checklistsNov 8-14: 24% of 3849 checklistsNov 15-21: 26% of 3722 checklistsNov 22-30: 26% of 4795 checklistsDec 1-7: 29% of 3324 checklistsDec 8-14: 27% of 3574 checklistsDec 15-21: 28% of 3884 checklistsDec 22-31: 28% of 5774 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 Oklahoma 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 Oklahoma

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Choctaw CountyBest mid February · 30 checklists that week, 844 in all71%
  2. Pontotoc CountyBest late January · 11 checklists that week, 308 in all59%
  3. Washington CountyBest mid August · 13 checklists that week, 2,263 in all57%
  4. Logan CountyBest the second week of January · 95 checklists that week, 5,258 in all57%
  5. Stephens CountyBest the second week of February · 19 checklists that week, 945 in all56%
  6. McClain CountyBest mid December · 13 checklists that week, 1,112 in all55%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Upper Dog PondAlfalfa County, best late August · 24 checklists that week, 783 in all69%
  2. Martin Park Nature CenterOklahoma County, best the second week of January · 32 checklists that week, 1,168 in all69%
  3. Joe B. Barnes Regional ParkOklahoma County, best late April · 23 checklists that week, 186 in all64%
  4. CLO LandsPayne County, best late August · 30 checklists that week, 1,208 in all64%
  5. Washington Irving ParkTulsa County, best mid April · 21 checklists that week, 449 in all63%

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

Best time of day

In Oklahoma, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (23% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (91) to judge1 am: too few checklists (65) to judge2 am: too few checklists (73) to judge3 am: too few checklists (73) to judge4 am: too few checklists (100) to judge5 am: too few checklists (647) to judge6 am: 21% of 8353 checklists7 am: 23% of 24509 checklists8 am: 24% of 27848 checklists9 am: 21% of 25316 checklists10 am: 19% of 21161 checklists11 am: 16% of 18730 checklists12 pm: 15% of 16097 checklists1 pm: 14% of 14028 checklists2 pm: 14% of 13599 checklists3 pm: 12% of 14228 checklists4 pm: 9.5% of 14597 checklists5 pm: 7.5% of 12125 checklists6 pm: 7.5% of 9337 checklists7 pm: 5.3% of 6944 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (2403) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (459) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (226) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (141) 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
January26%26%27%24%
February24%29%26%22%
March19%19%18%15%
April13%14%15%17%
May17%14%11%7.6%
June7.2%6.4%7.1%7.6%
July8.9%8.2%8.7%7.9%
August10%9.1%11%13%
September12%11%8.9%7.7%
October8.1%6.4%7.9%9.6%
November17%24%26%26%
December29%27%28%28%

Neighboring states

  • Kansas: year-round, peaks mid August
  • Arkansas: arrives the second week of November, in the same week than Oklahoma
  • Missouri: year-round, peaks late August
  • Nebraska: arrives late June, 18 weeks earlier than Oklahoma

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Oklahoma?
American Goldfinches are in Oklahoma all year, but most are here in winter: numbers build from the second week of November, peak in the second week of December (28% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of March. In the quietest week (the second week of June) they are still on about 6.9% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave Oklahoma?
American Goldfinches never fully leave Oklahoma: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of March, but some are still reported in every week, about 6.9% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in Oklahoma?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of December, on about 28% of Oklahoma checklists.
Where in Oklahoma are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Choctaw County, Pontotoc County, and Washington County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).