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The only finch in its subfamily to undergo a complete molt, the American goldfinch displays sexual dichromatism: the male is a vibrant yellow in the summer and an olive color during the winter, while the female is a dull yellow-brown shade which brightens only slightly during the summer.
The male also feeds the female during breeding and incubation of the eggs, and raising of the young, [17] and the male is the primary feeder of the fledglings (who can be differentiated from the females by the pin feathers remaining on their heads). Females are typically attracted to the males with the deepest pigment of red to their head, more ...
American goldfinch (Spinus tristis) male (left) and female (right) in Johnston County, North Carolina, USA. The finches have a near-global distribution, being found across the Americas, Eurasia and Africa, as well as some island groups such as the Hawaiian islands.
The male and female American goldfinches travel together searching for suitable nest sites. The female goldfinch builds a nest made of twigs, rootlets, and plant stems, and usually 4 to 20 feet ...
The specific epithet psaltria is Ancient Greek for a female harpist. [5] The type locality is Colorado Springs, Colorado. [6] The lesser goldfinch is now placed in the genus Spinus that was introduced in 1816 by the German naturalist Carl Ludwig Koch. [7] [3] Five subspecies are currently recognized, [3] though their validity has been ...
The eggs are incubated for 11–13 days by the female, who is fed by the male. The chicks are fed by both parents. Initially they receive a mixture of seeds and insects, but as they grow the proportion of insect material decreases. [25] For the first 7–9 days the young are brooded by the female. The nestlings fledge 13–18 days after hatching.
Alternatively, the distribution of male and female tissue can be more haphazard. Bilateral gynandromorphy arises very early in development, typically when the organism has between 8 and 64 cells. [25] Later stages produce a more random pattern. [citation needed] A notable example in birds is the zebra finch.
The adult male has red underparts, but females and young birds have grey-buff underparts. It moults between July and October, but males do not have the duller autumn plumage that is typical of some other finches. [9] The song of this unobtrusive bird contains fluted whistles, and is often described as "mournful".