Saturday, February 23, 2013

Changing Colors

Just like clockwork, as February nears its end, I am seeing the first molt changes in the American Goldfinches.  The males are sporting a bit more yellow, mainly the shoulder patches, and one male is invariably the most colorful.  This is a funny alteration for the goldfinches: they nest in June and July around here and have no real need of a breeding molt change so early in the season.  But they change all the same. However, the molt is hardly rapid and takes many weeks to unfold.  So we will, as the goldfinches permit, see a bit more and more, day by day, as spring time arrives.

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