When summer arrives, some people put away their bird feeders. Those who do miss out on seeing some stunning summer bird species, such as the American Goldfinch.

In the spring, the male goldfinch sheds his olive-brown camouflaging winter plumage and replaces it with the showy sunshine yellow feathers we know and love. They aim to impress the lady finches, but humans also delight in the burst of color goldfinches bring to the backyard scene.

If you’re looking to draw more into your yard, keeping your feeders out and filled is a surefire way to do that.

What plants do goldfinches eat?

Goldfinches sometimes get a reputation for being picky eaters. Like many birds, goldfinches gravitate toward certain foods. Once you understand their diets and preferences, you’ll find it’s not that hard to attract them to your yard.

The American Goldfinch eats seeds almost exclusively, though they will snap up the occasional insect. They favor seeds from the daisy family (Asteraceae), which means they’re drawn to sunflowers, asters, and coneflowers. They’ll also eat seeds from trees, especially elm, alder, birch, and the western red cedar, along with seeds in wild grass heads. Just a few landscaping additions will provide a major upgrade in goldfinch amenities!

What to feed goldfinches at the feeder

To get an up-close look at these yellow birds this summer, the key is filling your feeder with the right wild bird mix.

At the feeder, goldfinches will eat Nyjer® seed, black oil sunflower seeds and hulled sunflower seeds. To draw them in for an energy break, Lyric Finch Small Songbird Mix is a premium hand-selected blend of small seeds these yellow birds love to eat.

Not only does it contain goldfinch-attracting Nyjer seed and sunflower seeds, but Lyric Finch Mix also has canary seed, canola seed and small golden millet that attracts several other colorful bird species. To name a few: House Finch, Pine Siskin, Purple Finch and the Northern Mockingbird.

Best feeders for American Goldfinches

Now that you have found the best food for your feathered friends, you’ll want to choose a feeder to put it in.  Your best bet is a tube feeder with small perches and small openings for the seeds. This keeps larger birds like Blue Jays from crowding out the smaller birds, giving the goldfinches enough “wing-room” to eat.

Now that you know how to attract goldfinches to your yard, pick up a bag of Lyric Finch Small Songbird Mix today and enjoy the show!

Nyjer seed is a registered trademark of the Wild Bird Feeding Institute