American Goldfinch

Spinus tristis

The American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is a bird found in United States and Canada. Weedy fields and gardens across southern Canada and the US. It eats seeds and nuts, leaves and other plant parts and insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

See the American Goldfinch on the 3D globe →

Scientific name	Spinus tristis
Region	North America
Found in	United States and Canada

🏡 Where the American Goldfinch lives

Weedy fields and gardens across southern Canada and the US.

🍽️ What it eats

🌰 Seeds & nuts60%
🌿 Leaves & plants20%
🐛 Insects & bugs10%
🌸 Nectar10%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It eats mostly seeds and waits until summer to nest, when thistle seeds are ready.

Hear the American Goldfinch

Recorded by Rory Nefdt (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1034479. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the American Goldfinch

Where does the American Goldfinch live?

The American Goldfinch lives in United States and Canada. Weedy fields and gardens across southern Canada and the US.

What does the American Goldfinch eat?

seeds and nuts (about 60%), leaves and other plant parts (about 20%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 10%), nectar (about 10%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the American Goldfinch endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from North America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.