The breeding range reaches as far north as Saskatchewan and continues across the whole of North America, with the southern limits being N. Carolina in the east and northern California in the west. The American Goldfinch is a small finch with a small conical bill. It is olive brown above, blending to an olive yellow below.
Males have bright yellow throats and jet black wing feathers.
Females do not have a bright coloring. They consume many different types of seeds from annual plants. Analysis of the stomach contents of one goldfinch showed 50 different items, only 3 of which were insects. Goldfinches are well adapted to hanging on seed heads, and they prefer this to feeding on the ground. Although pairs form during the winter months, nesting does not begin until late June or early July.