Like any other state, New Jersey also has its own state bird and animal. The state animal of New Jersey is Horse but what about the state bird?
The state bird of New Jersey is the American Goldfinch who is also known as the eastern goldfinch.
These tiny yellow canary birds have short, cone-shaped bills and a short, forked tail that helps them to control ragweed growth in the Garden State of New Jersey.
But why did New Jersey get this state bird? When did American Goldfinch get this status?
There are many similar questions related to it. And In this article, I’ll explain all the facts related to this bird.
Why is the American Goldfinch the state bird of New Jersey?
The Garden State of New Jersey selected American Goldfinch or wild canary as their state bird as these birds love wide open spaces and meadows.
These birds sing their songs regularly for the residents of New Jersey which made the organization make them the state bird.
When did the American Goldfinch become the state bird of New Jersey?
In 1935, New Jersey got their state bird. On June 27, 1935, the state legislation of New Jersey designated American Goldfinch as their state bird.
With this decision, New Jersey shared their state bird with Washington and Iowa. However, there is no official reason for stating the American Goldfinch as their state bird.
Even the legislative journals at the time and newspapers did not record any reason behind the choice of their state bird.
What does the American Goldfinch look like?
American Goldfinch is a bright yellow bird that holds its plumage in spring and summer. The male American Goldfinch has a black beak and forehand. They have a yellow chest and upper area.
While the female American Goldfinch has olive-yellow with a brown tail and wings. But during the winter season, the male American Goldfinch looks similar to that of a female.
Both the gender of the American Goldfinch is 4.25 inches in length and features pale legs.
The wingspan of these birds ranges from 7.5 to 8.7 inches and weighs around 0.39 ounces to 0.79 ounces.
The age of these birds is between 9 to 10 years in captivity while it is up to 16 years in the wild. Therefore, it is not recommended to keep these birds in captivity.
What Kind Of Behaviour Does American Goldfinches Show?
The canaries generally mate for life. These birds sing until they have their chicks. However, when the babies molt, the female canary stops singing.
A baby canary can learn to sing at the age of six weeks. American Goldfinches can sing a rapid fore, a high-pitched song that sounds similar to that of rat-tat-tat.
Even they can sing inspiration for laser gunfire in video games. But they can sing regularly only once they reach the age of maturity.
Although these birds are taught to sing at a young age they cannot begin performing until the age of nine months.
However, if the parents do not teach singing to their chicks, a human can teach them. These canaries can learn to perform songs well into their adulthood and they can learn it from a human as well.
Do American Goldfinches form communities?
American Goldfinches have nuclear families. These birds are monogamous and they mate for life.
Once they found their mate, they build their nest together by using milkweed, thistle, sticks, twigs, and other fibrous plants.
A Canary couple can breed up to three times during their life with each bird’s pregnancy producing multiple eggs.
A clutch of eggs ranges between two to seven each pregnancy. This means that each couple can produce up to 21 children.
These birds live the entire year in the same habitat. Once they build their nest, they stay there and raise their family. The nesting period of these birds starts from late June to early July.
The incubation period of the eggs of these birds lasts about 15 days. Once the baby canary mature, they fly the coop. They leave their parent’s nests and go repeat the same process.
What do American Goldfinches eat?
The canaries or American Goldfinches love weed seeds. They generally eat the seeds from the materials they build the nest.
They eat thistle seed and a lot of ragweed seed. You can put their favorite seeds into a bird feeder in your yard. They also prefer nyjer seeds and sunflower seeds.
Conclusion
The state bird of New Jersey is the American Goldfinches or Canaries who love to weed seeds. The canaries got this status in 1935 and New Jersey shared its state bird with Washington and Iowa.
These canaries usually have 2 to 7 eggs per pregnancy. At last, I hope this article might have helped you in some ways. Thank You For Reading!
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