American Goldfinchs in Oregon

American Goldfinchs live in Oregon all year. Mild, rainy winters in the Willamette Valley; cold, snowy winters east of the Cascades. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward birch and alder seeds; nyjer and hulled sunflower at feeders.

Marine west-coast climate west of the Cascades; high desert to the east.

Across Oregon, goldfinches typically nest from July–September. Nest site: tight cup in shrubs or saplings, lined with thistle or cattail down; nests late, in July–September. Females lay 2–7 eggs, incubate for 12–14 days, and young leave the nest after 11–17 days.

Dry summers west of the Cascades; hot days in the high desert.

• American Goldfinchs don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as paper birch, rabbitbrush for nest sites.
• Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after September.

Of the regional native plants we track for Oregon, these 8 provide food or cover goldfinches use:

Goldfinches travel in flocks and can empty a finch feeder quickly. Keep nyjer fresh — they abandon stale, moldy seed.

• Best foods: Nyjer (thistle), Hulled sunflower chips, Black-oil sunflower.
• In Oregon's winter: Mild, rainy winters in the Willamette Valley; cold, snowy winters east of the Cascades.

Full diet breakdown for goldfinches · Best feeder for goldfinches