WhenToBird

Spinus tristis · Fringillidae

When Do American Goldfinches Arrive in Washington?

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

American Goldfinches are in Washington all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid April, peak in the second week of July (32% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of September. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 7.7% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildApr 15-21mid April
PeakJul 8-14the second week of July
Fall back bySep 8-14the second week of September
FewestFeb 1-7early February

Best: the second week of July. Here all year; numbers build from mid April and fall back by the second week of September. Peak: on about 32% of Washington checklists.

  1. Januncommon
  2. Febuncommon
  3. Maruncommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Junpeak season
  7. Julpeak season
  8. Augpeak season
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octcommon
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Decuncommon

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

0%10%20%30%40%Jan 1-7: 8.9% of 41928 checklistsJan 8-14: 8.3% of 31152 checklistsJan 15-21: 8.2% of 31753 checklistsJan 22-31: 7.6% of 42530 checklistsFeb 1-7: 7.7% of 29739 checklistsFeb 8-14: 7.9% of 32746 checklistsFeb 15-21: 7.8% of 40328 checklistsFeb 22-28: 7.9% of 28432 checklistsMar 1-7: 7.9% of 30758 checklistsMar 8-14: 8.4% of 29368 checklistsMar 15-21: 9.6% of 32580 checklistsMar 22-31: 11% of 45614 checklistsApr 1-7: 13% of 33997 checklistsApr 8-14: 15% of 34729 checklistsApr 15-21: 18% of 38474 checklistsApr 22-30: 26% of 52185 checklistsMay 1-7: 32% of 44236 checklistsMay 8-14: 32% of 48708 checklistsMay 15-21: 31% of 41742 checklistsMay 22-31: 31% of 57082 checklistsJun 1-7: 31% of 39193 checklistsJun 8-14: 32% of 36042 checklistsJun 15-21: 31% of 34003 checklistsJun 22-30: 31% of 39711 checklistsJul 1-7: 32% of 31949 checklistsJul 8-14: 33% of 29086 checklistsJul 15-21: 32% of 28045 checklistsJul 22-31: 29% of 38275 checklistsAug 1-7: 27% of 28846 checklistsAug 8-14: 26% of 28036 checklistsAug 15-21: 25% of 27614 checklistsAug 22-31: 25% of 40356 checklistsSep 1-7: 23% of 31214 checklistsSep 8-14: 20% of 27795 checklistsSep 15-21: 18% of 29677 checklistsSep 22-30: 18% of 35241 checklistsOct 1-7: 18% of 28605 checklistsOct 8-14: 16% of 28655 checklistsOct 15-21: 14% of 24643 checklistsOct 22-31: 13% of 34874 checklistsNov 1-7: 11% of 25658 checklistsNov 8-14: 10% of 25700 checklistsNov 15-21: 10% of 24331 checklistsNov 22-30: 10% of 32784 checklistsDec 1-7: 10% of 24099 checklistsDec 8-14: 9.9% of 23339 checklistsDec 15-21: 9.3% of 27666 checklistsDec 22-31: 9.4% of 42130 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 Washington 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 Washington

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Walla Walla CountyBest mid July · 455 checklists that week, 35,829 in all51%
  2. Jefferson CountyBest late May · 1893 checklists that week, 59,663 in all51%
  3. Wahkiakum CountyBest the second week of August · 88 checklists that week, 5,618 in all51%
  4. Mason CountyBest the second week of May · 750 checklists that week, 27,853 in all49%
  5. Skagit CountyBest the second week of July · 1214 checklists that week, 78,154 in all48%
  6. Clark CountyBest late May · 1937 checklists that week, 53,250 in all46%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Miller CreekKing County, best early July · 20 checklists that week, 836 in all98%
  2. Matriotti CreekClallam County, best late May · 22 checklists that week, 538 in all98%
  3. Buckmire SloughClark County, best early September · 39 checklists that week, 1,347 in all98%
  4. Old ChannelSkagit County, best the second week of July · 33 checklists that week, 1,445 in all97%
  5. Round LakeClark County, best late July · 31 checklists that week, 892 in all97%

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

Best time of day

In Washington, the American Goldfinch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (31% of those checklists).

0%10%20%30%40%12 am: too few checklists (796) to judge1 am: too few checklists (776) to judge2 am: too few checklists (709) to judge3 am: too few checklists (901) to judge4 am: too few checklists (3221) to judge5 am: too few checklists (16576) to judge6 am: 35% of 56744 checklists7 am: 29% of 133294 checklists8 am: 24% of 184196 checklists9 am: 21% of 186303 checklists10 am: 19% of 177063 checklists11 am: 16% of 154936 checklists12 pm: 15% of 138061 checklists1 pm: 14% of 127449 checklists2 pm: 13% of 121511 checklists3 pm: 12% of 107793 checklists4 pm: 14% of 82862 checklists5 pm: 17% of 57183 checklists6 pm: 18% of 39886 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (26969) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (12427) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (3658) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1500) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (834) 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
January8.9%8.3%8.2%7.6%
February7.7%7.9%7.8%7.9%
March7.9%8.4%9.6%11%
April13%15%18%26%
May32%32%31%31%
June31%32%31%31%
July32%33%32%29%
August27%26%25%25%
September23%20%18%18%
October18%16%14%13%
November11%10%10%10%
December10%9.9%9.3%9.4%

Neighboring states

  • Oregon: arrives late April, 1 week later than Washington
  • Idaho: year-round, peaks early August
  • Montana: arrives mid May, 4 weeks later than Washington
  • Nevada: arrives early September, 18 weeks later than Washington

Common questions

When do American Goldfinches arrive in Washington?
American Goldfinches are in Washington all year, but most are here in summer: numbers build from mid April, peak in the second week of July (32% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of September. In the quietest week (early February) they are still on about 7.7% of checklists.
When do American Goldfinches leave Washington?
American Goldfinches never fully leave Washington: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of September, but some are still reported in every week, about 7.7% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a American Goldfinch in Washington?
The American Goldfinch is reported most often in the second week of July, on about 32% of Washington checklists.
Where in Washington are American Goldfinches seen most often?
By county, Walla Walla County, Jefferson County, and Wahkiakum County have the highest peak reporting rates for the American Goldfinch (counties with at least 200 checklists).