Because the song of the goldfinch resembles that of the European caged
canary, the bird is sometimes called a "wild canary." The male is yellow
with black cap, wings, and tail. The female is olive green and dull yellow.
The nest is made of fine grasses, shreddedbark, and moss lined with thistledown.
There are three to six bluish-white eggs. The birds feed chiefly on weed
seeds.
The goldfinch is a year-round resident in most regions of the United
States. It is the state bird of Iowa and New Jersey. The willow goldfinch,
the state bird of Washington, is similar to the Easternspecies. The goldfinch
belongs to the songbird family Carduelidae.