American Goldfinch

A pair of American Goldfinches sang from a hedgerow at the Nisqually national wildlife refuge on 5 May 2021. Because of the black, rather than gray, wings, I identified the second bird as a second-year male. Actually we kind of hoped for Lesser Goldfinches, which we have seen in Oregon but not in Washington. Lesser Goldfinches are often reported from the Olympia area, and their numbers seem to be increasing. In fact, Lesser Goldfinches appeared on a couple of eBird lists on the same day and in the same general area of our birds. These photos definitely show pale, pinkish bills typical of American Goldfinches. Lesser Goldfinches’ bills are dark-gray.