goldfinch
noun
gold·finch
ˈgōl(d)-ˌfinch 
: any of several small, active, often brightly-colored finches (genuera Spinus and Carduelis of the family Fringillidae) with yellow in their plumage: such as
a
: a small finch (Spinus tristis) native to North America that in the breeding plumage of the male is yellow with a white rump and black markings on the wings, tail, and crown
called also American goldfinch
b
: one (Carduelis carduelis) native to Europe, western and central Asia, and northern Africa that has the front of the head and throat bright red, the nape with part of the wings and tail black, and the wings marked in bright yellow
Examples of goldfinch in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Finches are a good example of the instinct toward seasonal flocking, with both the red house finches and the yellow goldfinches gathering in large flocks of dozens to hundreds.
—
Jack Gedney, The Mercury News, 23 Sep. 2024
Their small seed clusters also attract birds like the goldfinch, redpolls, chickadees, and pine siskins.
—Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Aug. 2024
Watch for goldfinches and other songbirds feeding on the tiny seed heads in autumn.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 11 July 2024
The view is of a yellow garden where goldfinches stitch the air above, over and through a quarter acre of black-eyed Susans.
—Annie Proulx, The New Yorker, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for goldfinch 
Jack Gedney, The Mercury News, 23 Sep. 2024
Their small seed clusters also attract birds like the goldfinch, redpolls, chickadees, and pine siskins.
—Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Aug. 2024
Watch for goldfinches and other songbirds feeding on the tiny seed heads in autumn.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 11 July 2024
The view is of a yellow garden where goldfinches stitch the air above, over and through a quarter acre of black-eyed Susans.
—Annie Proulx, The New Yorker, 30 June 2024
See all Example Sentences for goldfinch
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'goldfinch.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Goldfinch.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/goldfinch. Accessed 8 Oct. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
goldfinch
noun
gold·finch
-ˌfinch
1
: a small largely red, black, and yellow European finch often kept in a cage
2
: any of several small American finches of which the males in their summer coat of feathers are usually yellow with black wings, tail, and top of the head
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