WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Pennsylvania?

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

American Goldfinches are in Pennsylvania all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late June, peak in the second week of August (63% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 21% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildJun 22-30late June
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 June and fall back by late September. Peak: on about 63% of Pennsylvania checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  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 47145 checklistsJan 8-14: 27% of 35840 checklistsJan 15-21: 26% of 35423 checklistsJan 22-31: 25% of 49126 checklistsFeb 1-7: 24% of 36366 checklistsFeb 8-14: 25% of 42248 checklistsFeb 15-21: 26% of 55888 checklistsFeb 22-28: 21% of 42050 checklistsMar 1-7: 21% of 42709 checklistsMar 8-14: 21% of 43985 checklistsMar 15-21: 23% of 44547 checklistsMar 22-31: 26% of 66940 checklistsApr 1-7: 31% of 51147 checklistsApr 8-14: 39% of 54868 checklistsApr 15-21: 47% of 57252 checklistsApr 22-30: 53% of 81727 checklistsMay 1-7: 50% of 76472 checklistsMay 8-14: 47% of 79341 checklistsMay 15-21: 43% of 61724 checklistsMay 22-31: 40% of 70722 checklistsJun 1-7: 39% of 45652 checklistsJun 8-14: 39% of 41810 checklistsJun 15-21: 40% of 38973 checklistsJun 22-30: 43% of 44255 checklistsJul 1-7: 49% of 34822 checklistsJul 8-14: 54% of 31104 checklistsJul 15-21: 57% of 29262 checklistsJul 22-31: 60% of 41436 checklistsAug 1-7: 62% of 29189 checklistsAug 8-14: 63% of 28840 checklistsAug 15-21: 63% of 29948 checklistsAug 22-31: 62% of 48235 checklistsSep 1-7: 56% of 37175 checklistsSep 8-14: 51% of 36527 checklistsSep 15-21: 47% of 37261 checklistsSep 22-30: 41% of 43583 checklistsOct 1-7: 39% of 35352 checklistsOct 8-14: 34% of 35560 checklistsOct 15-21: 33% of 33119 checklistsOct 22-31: 35% of 44654 checklistsNov 1-7: 39% of 32965 checklistsNov 8-14: 38% of 31305 checklistsNov 15-21: 36% of 29471 checklistsNov 22-30: 34% of 38642 checklistsDec 1-7: 32% of 28779 checklistsDec 8-14: 31% of 29486 checklistsDec 15-21: 30% of 37465 checklistsDec 22-31: 29% of 50651 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 Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Blair CountyBest early August · 173 checklists that week, 13,387 in all77%
  2. Juniata CountyBest early August · 126 checklists that week, 9,807 in all77%
  3. Fulton CountyBest late August · 149 checklists that week, 7,004 in all75%
  4. Washington CountyBest mid August · 317 checklists that week, 23,823 in all72%
  5. Jefferson CountyBest late July · 137 checklists that week, 5,956 in all72%
  6. Lawrence CountyBest the second week of August · 211 checklists that week, 15,430 in all72%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. State Game Land 169 (northwest)Cumberland County, best the second week of August · 21 checklists that week, 207 in all100%
  2. Big Spring CreekCumberland County, best early August · 20 checklists that week, 1,087 in all100%
  3. Woodland LakeMonroe County, best late July · 22 checklists that week, 725 in all100%
  4. Cherry Valley National Wildlife RefugeMonroe County, best early September · 27 checklists that week, 1,220 in all99%

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

Best time of day

In Pennsylvania, 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 (1558) to judge1 am: too few checklists (1136) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (842) to judge4 am: too few checklists (2550) to judge5 am: too few checklists (18294) to judge6 am: 53% of 92903 checklists7 am: 53% of 241233 checklists8 am: 49% of 271994 checklists9 am: 44% of 236842 checklists10 am: 39% of 199508 checklists11 am: 35% of 161893 checklists12 pm: 34% of 143945 checklists1 pm: 32% of 134352 checklists2 pm: 30% of 129692 checklists3 pm: 28% of 126132 checklists4 pm: 27% of 115055 checklists5 pm: 32% of 90719 checklists6 pm: 35% of 67534 checklists7 pm: 31% of 43004 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (13966) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3913) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1989) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1146) 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%27%26%25%
February24%25%26%21%
March21%21%23%26%
April31%39%47%53%
May50%47%43%40%
June39%39%40%43%
July49%54%57%60%
August62%63%63%62%
September56%51%47%41%
October39%34%33%35%
November39%38%36%34%
December32%31%30%29%

Neighboring states

  • Maryland: arrives the second week of April, 10 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania
  • District of Columbia: arrives early April, 11 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania
  • Delaware: arrives the second week of April, 10 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania
  • New Jersey: arrives early June, 3 weeks earlier than Pennsylvania

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Pennsylvania?
American Goldfinches are in Pennsylvania all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from late June, peak in the second week of August (63% of checklists), and fall back by late September. In the quietest week (early March) they are still on about 21% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave Pennsylvania?
American Goldfinches never fully leave Pennsylvania: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by late September, but some are still reported in every week, about 21% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in Pennsylvania?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of August, on about 63% of Pennsylvania checklists.
Where in Pennsylvania are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Blair County, Juniata County, and Fulton County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).