Female goldfinches are not as obvious as males because of their darker coloring. Their duller plumage helps them blend into their surroundings, which keeps them and their nests safe.
So are female goldfinches identifiable? What are their lives like?
Let’s take a closer look at female goldfinches and their role as mothers and partners.
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Female vs. Male Goldfinches
For the majority of the year, differentiating female and male American Goldfinches is easy because of the male’s brilliant yellow plumage.
Male goldfinches are easy to identify thanks to their vibrant plumage. Photograph © Alan D. Wilson
However, in the winter months, males are gray-brown and can be hard to tell from females. In addition, there’s very little difference between adults and immatures of each sex.
For a more reliable way to differentiate these birds, look at the underside of these birds’ tails. Male birds have blackish tail feathers and well-defined white spots, while females have grayish feathers that blend into dull white spots.
Scientific Information
| Female American Goldfinch | Male American Goldfinch | |
| Bill | Female goldfinches have sharply pointed, conical bills that are perfect for consuming small seeds. In the breeding season, these birds have pale bills. | Males have the same sharply pointed bills as females, and during the spring and summer, it’s also pale in color. |
| Wings | Female goldfinches have black wings and one white wing bar. The wing bar is less noticeable in females than in males. | Male goldfinches have black wings and one white wing bar as well. In addition, a small area of white can sometimes be seen on the shoulder. |
| Tail | Females have overall black tails that are pale underneath. A shallow notch can be seen in the tail when the bird is perched. | Males have a black tail with a shallow notch. |
| Throat | Female goldfinches have a yellow wash on their throats. However, females that are more brightly colored can show yellow on the flanks and breast as well. | The Male goldfinches’ yellow plumage extends all the way to their throats. |
| Size | Female goldfinches are 4.3 to 5.1 inches (11 to 13 centimeters) long, weigh 0.4 to 0.7 ounces (11 to 20 grams), and have a wingspan of 7.5 to 8.7 inches (19 to 22 centimeters). | Male goldfinches are 4.3 to 5.1 inches (11 to 13 centimeters) long, weigh 0.4 to 0.7 ounces (11 to 20 grams), and have a wingspan of 7.5 to 8.7 inches (19 to 22 centimeters). |
| Life Expectancy | Female goldfinches can live to be anywhere from 5 to 10 years old. In captivity, they can live to be much longer. | Male goldfinches can live to be anywhere from 5 to 10 years old.
The oldest recorded American Goldfinch was a male who lived to be at least 10 years and 9 months old. |
| Sounds | Female goldfinches are not as vocal as male goldfinches. However, females make a quick sequence of high-pitched notes when they hear their mate approaching with food. | Males make a wide variety of sounds, including long and variable series of twitters and warbles, contact calls, harsh threat calls, and courtship calls. |
Plumage
Male American Goldfinches have jet-black foreheads and are bright lemon yellow overall. Additionally, their wings are tipped with white and black overall.
Their tails have white patches on the under and upper sides and are black overall. Female birds have olive-colored backs and pale yellow abdomens, duller than males. Males have bright orange bills, while females have pale orange bills.
Female goldfinches have duller plumage
Both female and male American Goldfinches are pale in the winter. Their wings are dull black with two off-white wing bars, and their plumage is brownish-yellow. The best way to differentiate males and females is by looking at their throats. Males have a brighter yellow on their throats than females.
Female goldfinches don’t sing too much
American Goldfinches have 6 different vocalization groups:
- Song
- Alarm call
- Contact call
- Threat call
- Female courtship call
- Male courtship call
Female birds don’t sing, but they do have their own courtship call. Males sing and produce their courtship calls to attract females. It is commonly vocalized as a sequence of high-pitched, short whistles.
However, this call is sometimes given as a quick trill or slowed down. During the breeding season, females produce courtship calls for a variety of reasons. They make a courtship call when picking a mate, creating the nest, and while in the nest.
Female goldfinches will also use alarm and threat calls.
Behavior
Male and female American Goldfinches show a variety of behavioral differences in their nesting habits, calls, and seasonal dominance.
How To Tell A Younger Goldfinches Gender?
Juvenile goldfinches are pale yellow underneath and buff to tawny brown above. Their wings are not black but very dark and are marked with 2 buff-colored wing bars.
Female and male juveniles look similar. However, females are usually lighter in color. The female has more brownish-gray coloring overall, and the upper wing feathers are pale.
Female Goldfinch Lifecycle
Both genders will choose a nesting site; they move together to find a suitable site. The female is the one to create the nests.
Nests are often placed in a sapling or shrub in a relatively open setting; they’re placed high up where 2 or 3 vertical branches join together. Additionally, the nest is often shaded by clusters of needles or leaves from above.
Female goldfinch
The nests’ open cup is made from plant fibers and rootlets that are lined with plant down. These materials are woven together tightly that they’ve been known to hold water.
It takes the female around 6 days to create the nest. The completed nest is about 3 inches wide on the outside and 2 to 4.5 inches tall.
Goldfinches generally have 1 to 2 broods per breeding season. The incubation period lasts around 12-14 days and the nestling period from 11 to 17 days. The clutch size ranges from 2 to 7 eggs.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can you tell the difference between a male and a female goldfinch?
You can tell the difference between a male and female goldfinch by looking at their tails and their plumage. For most of the year, male goldfinches are bright yellow, and females are olive-colored on their backs and pale yellow on their abdomens. Male birds have black tails with a shallow notch, and female birds have overall black tails that are pale underneath. A shallow notch can be seen on the females as well.
How can you tell a female goldfinch?
Female goldfinches have olive-colored backs and pale yellow abdomens; they’re duller than males. Males have bright orange bills, and females have pale orange bills.
Do female goldfinches change color?
Yes, female goldfinches do change color! In the winter, the females’ mustard-yellow feathers change to gray.
Why are my goldfinches not yellow?
In the winter, male American Goldfinches lose the black caps on their heads, and their bright yellow feathers switch to a brownish-olive. Likewise, the females’ mustard-yellow feathers change to gray.
Conclusions
Even though male and female goldfinches look similar at first glance, they have many differences in appearance and behavior.
Males are more vocal and have bright yellow plumage, while females are duller and aren’t as aggressive toward other birds.
However, it is tough to determine the gender of juvenile goldfinches, and in the case of wild goldfinches, the only ethical way to find it out is to observe their behavior.