4 Calls & Sounds that American Goldfinches Make (2025)
The American Goldfinch is an easily spotted finch found throughout most of North America. Interestingly, goldfinches are strictly vegetarians, avoiding insects like most other songbirds.
American Goldfinch CALLS:
- Make sure to press PLAY on the audio files below. 🙂
Sound #1: Simple Song
American Goldfinch songs can be tough to learn and identify as they can appear seemingly random. The males sing a long tune of twitters and warbles that are repeated in a random order.
One interesting thing is that once a goldfinch has found a mate, the male and female flight call can become almost identical to one another. It is still unclear if the birds can distinguish the calls from one another.
Sound #2: Run on Song
Another tricky part about learning the American Goldfinch song is that they will learn new song patterns throughout their life.
CALLS
Sound #3: ‘Po-Ta-To-Chip’
This is one of my favorite Goldfinch calls that they make in flight. It might be my favorite because the mnemonic comes with a hand motion. This common flight call sounds like ‘po-ta-to-chip’ while the bird moves up and down in flight (do this call with your hand moving up and down like a bird).
Sound #4: ‘Tee-he-he’
This confusing call can be often heard near bushes in late summer typically as fledglings continue to beg Mom and Dad for food.
Have you heard the calls and sounds of an American Goldfinch before?
If so, please let us know below!