WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Oregon?

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

American Goldfinches are in Oregon all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in the second week of May (25% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (late January) they are still on about 5.1% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 22-30late April
PeakMay 8-14the second week of May
Fall back byOct 15-21mid October
FewestJan 22-31late January

Best: the second week of May. Here all year; numbers build from late April and fall back by mid October. Peak: on about 25% of Oregon checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novcommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%Jan 1-7: 6.5% of 34973 checklistsJan 8-14: 5.8% of 26807 checklistsJan 15-21: 5.3% of 26567 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.0% of 36019 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.0% of 24020 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.6% of 25765 checklistsFeb 15-21: 5.9% of 31019 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.8% of 24582 checklistsMar 1-7: 5.5% of 24834 checklistsMar 8-14: 5.6% of 24642 checklistsMar 15-21: 5.8% of 27420 checklistsMar 22-31: 6.2% of 39913 checklistsApr 1-7: 7.4% of 28817 checklistsApr 8-14: 8.8% of 31221 checklistsApr 15-21: 12% of 34402 checklistsApr 22-30: 20% of 47144 checklistsMay 1-7: 26% of 37716 checklistsMay 8-14: 25% of 39651 checklistsMay 15-21: 23% of 37496 checklistsMay 22-31: 20% of 56967 checklistsJun 1-7: 20% of 35893 checklistsJun 8-14: 20% of 31880 checklistsJun 15-21: 21% of 30942 checklistsJun 22-30: 19% of 38478 checklistsJul 1-7: 22% of 27409 checklistsJul 8-14: 22% of 25161 checklistsJul 15-21: 23% of 25473 checklistsJul 22-31: 22% of 33920 checklistsAug 1-7: 21% of 24310 checklistsAug 8-14: 20% of 23675 checklistsAug 15-21: 20% of 23623 checklistsAug 22-31: 21% of 33762 checklistsSep 1-7: 21% of 25120 checklistsSep 8-14: 20% of 24458 checklistsSep 15-21: 19% of 25528 checklistsSep 22-30: 20% of 31631 checklistsOct 1-7: 20% of 25498 checklistsOct 8-14: 19% of 25161 checklistsOct 15-21: 16% of 23701 checklistsOct 22-31: 12% of 30996 checklistsNov 1-7: 10% of 21089 checklistsNov 8-14: 9.5% of 21880 checklistsNov 15-21: 8.7% of 21501 checklistsNov 22-30: 7.6% of 28930 checklistsDec 1-7: 7.6% of 19807 checklistsDec 8-14: 7.1% of 21022 checklistsDec 15-21: 6.4% of 24817 checklistsDec 22-31: 6.5% of 37592 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 Oregon 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 Oregon

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Columbia CountyBest the second week of July · 353 checklists that week, 27,750 in all56%
  2. Polk CountyBest early July · 493 checklists that week, 29,096 in all51%
  3. Yamhill CountyBest the second week of June · 267 checklists that week, 11,537 in all46%
  4. Marion CountyBest mid July · 883 checklists that week, 52,870 in all45%
  5. Linn CountyBest the second week of May · 722 checklists that week, 27,533 in all42%
  6. Washington CountyBest mid July · 1745 checklists that week, 110,376 in all42%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Wapato Lake National Wildlife Refuge (Wapato Lake Bed)Yamhill County, best late September · 22 checklists that week, 176 in all100%
  2. Wood River MarshKlamath County, best mid July · 20 checklists that week, 1,094 in all93%
  3. Downing Bike PathWashington County, best the second week of September · 36 checklists that week, 2,451 in all92%
  4. Wapato Lake National Wildlife RefugeWashington County, best late August · 22 checklists that week, 605 in all92%
  5. Sutton LakeLane County, best the second week of June · 21 checklists that week, 1,189 in all90%

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

Best time of day

In Oregon, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (24% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%12 am: too few checklists (1505) to judge1 am: too few checklists (675) to judge2 am: too few checklists (626) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1641) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3696) to judge5 am: too few checklists (14524) to judge6 am: 25% of 50677 checklists7 am: 23% of 125347 checklists8 am: 19% of 163668 checklists9 am: 17% of 160351 checklists10 am: 15% of 148940 checklists11 am: 13% of 124743 checklists12 pm: 12% of 112537 checklists1 pm: 11% of 98999 checklists2 pm: 9.8% of 94690 checklists3 pm: 9.5% of 87923 checklists4 pm: 9.8% of 75235 checklists5 pm: 12% of 54504 checklists6 pm: 12% of 40469 checklists7 pm: 9.1% of 33675 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (18715) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (5839) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2704) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1549) 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
January6.5%5.8%5.3%5.0%
February5.0%5.6%5.9%4.8%
March5.5%5.6%5.8%6.2%
April7.4%8.8%12%20%
May26%25%23%20%
June20%20%21%19%
July22%22%23%22%
August21%20%20%21%
September21%20%19%20%
October20%19%16%12%
November10%9.5%8.7%7.6%
December7.6%7.1%6.4%6.5%

Neighboring states

  • Washington: arrives mid April, 1 week earlier than Oregon
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early August
  • Nevada: arrives early September, 17 weeks later than Oregon
  • California: year-round, peaks mid April

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Oregon?
American Goldfinches are in Oregon all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late April, peak in the second week of May (25% of checklists), and fall back by mid October. In the quietest week (late January) they are still on about 5.1% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave Oregon?
American Goldfinches never fully leave Oregon: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by mid October, but some are still reported in every week, about 5.1% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in Oregon?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of May, on about 25% of Oregon checklists.
Where in Oregon are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Columbia County, Polk County, and Yamhill County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).