Page "American Goldfinch" Paragraph 12

The American Goldfinch undergoes a molt in the spring and autumn.

It is the only cardueline finch to undergo a molt twice a year.

During the winter molt it sheds all its feathers ; in the spring, it sheds all but the wing and tail feathers, which are dark brown in the female and black in the male.

The markings on these feathers remain through each molt, with bars on the wings and white under and at the edges of the short, notched tail.

The sexual dimorphism displayed in plumage coloration is especially pronounced after the spring molt, when the bright color of the male's summer plumage is needed to attract a mate.