Male American goldfinches pack a lot of brilliance in their five-inch bodies. The lemon-yellow on most of their body looks even brighter than normal, thanks to black feathering atop the bird’s head and wings.

Goldfinches can be found all across Kansas, mostly in fairly open country. Best nesting populations occur in the eastern one-fourth of the state. They normally nest later than other songbirds in Kansas, sometimes laying eggs in late July or even early August.

Most people with bird feeders can attest to the fact that goldfinches feed primarily on seeds, have hearty appetites and don’t mind sharing a food source with lots of other gold finches.