THE AMERICAN GOLDFINCH, THISTLE 

 BIRD, OR WILD CANARY 



In summer, the body is bright yelloW; crown black; wings 

 black, some feathers of wings edged with white; tail black; 

 bill and feet flesh color. In the fall the male loses the yellow 

 color and becomes brownish-olive like the female. Length, 

 five inches. 



The nesting season is delayed untif late in July to make 

 sure of an abundance of seed-food for the birdlings. Nests 

 filled with the young are sometimes found as late as September 

 ' first. The nest is made of grasses, strips of bark and moss, and 

 well-lined with thistle down. It is in bushes, five to ten feet up. 

 Three to six pale, bluish-white eggs are laid, .65 x .50 inches. 



While some of these birds go south to winter, others 

 remain in the Northern States throughout the year. Doubtless 

 their movements are determined more by the supply of food 

 than by any other cause. When the deep snows of a Northern 

 winter cover the stems of the seed-bearirig plants, these birds 

 must move elsewhere or starve; hence they often migrate to 

 the South in midwinter. 



They are joyous, happy creatures living mainly in the 

 fields in flocks except when nesting. Their food consists of the 

 seeds of wild plants and of these they like the thistle seeds best 

 of all. In the summer, a patch of thistles is certain to be orna- 

 mented with a flock of these beautiful birds. Alighting on the 

 stems of the plant, they pull out the winged seeds and devour 

 them greedily. If you go too close to them, they flit away to 

 the nearest bushes and wait until you have gone before they 

 return. 



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