Goldfinch in the Meadow

The goldfinch is one of the best known and most attractive members of the seed-eating family of birds. It occurs in most parts of North America and, unknown to many people, is found there throughout the year. The fact that goldfinches change to a drab olive plumage in the winter leads people to believe that they go south as do many of the other attractive perching birds. It is the clear lemon yellow body and striking black and white wings that people expect when they think of the goldfinch.

The goldfinch is also well known because it is a bird of open country and gardens. I always associate it with the bright summer days of my boyhood when I would go hiking through farms and meadows. When I hear their gentle little twitter and see their bounding flight, I am carried back in my imagination to the bright summer days of my boyhood.