They drink a lot of water, so are usually found near riparian areas, even in dry country. The nest is a neat cup of plant fibers and grasses usually placed in trees or dense bushes from 2-30 feet high. Goldfinches are in the finch family. The finch family used to include sparrows and buntings, but have recently been split. No finches are found in Australia, but occur primarily in the northern hemisphere around the world.
Finches have conical bills well-suited for eating seeds.
Most have 9 primary flight feathers and 12 tail feathers. Any discussion of identification of goldfinches must start with the common and widespread American Goldfinch. Breeding males are bright lemon yellow with black crown, tail, and wings with white wingbars. The female is similar, though duller yellow, and without the black crown. The crown has no black, but the wings and tail are black.