Goldfinches spend most of the year wearing dull olive-brown plumage, a far cry from the brilliant yellow that gets all the attention. But here’s the thing: those same birds are visiting feeders right now, and if you prepare your yard before breeding season, you’ll already have them when the transformation happens.

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Here’s how to roll out the welcome mat early.

Offer Nyjer Thistle Seed

Nyjer seed is the absolute gold standard for attracting goldfinches year-round, no matter what color their feathers happen to be. Finches, especially Goldfinches, love thistle, also called Nyjer or niger seed.

This tiny seed comes from the African yellow daisy, and while it may share the name, it is not related to the thistle plant. The answer, hands down, is thistle/Nyjer.

This makes up a large component of all seed mixes and is sold alone as a favorite food of finches, including goldfinches, purple finches, and house finches. One of the most familiar backyard birds, American goldfinches are ever-present at bird feeders during the winter when they love to feed on sunflower seeds and nyjer (thistle seeds).

Special ‘thistle feeders’ have been developed specifically for attracting goldfinches and some of their relatives.

Install Upside-Down Feeders

Goldfinches have a unique ability that gives them a serious advantage at the feeder: they can hang upside down while eating. The ability to eat upside down is determined by the structure of the bird’s lower jaw.

The lower jaw of a bird that can eat upside down has a projection called the culmen, which curves downwards and backward. This projecting shape gives the bird extra space to open its mouth wide while hanging upside down.

Other popular options have the suet blocks or balls in a container hanging in such a way that birds have to hang it upside down to access it.

Plant Native Thistle Patches

If you really want to create goldfinch habitat that lasts beyond feeder season, plant native thistles and other seed-producing wildflowers. American goldfinches live in weedy fields and clearings.

They like to stay close to thistles and similar plants, so you could attract them to your yard by installing a thistle sock. Fill this bird feeder with nyjer, weed, or sunflower seeds.

First, we’d be remiss if we did not mention the importance of native plant species, which provide so much more food and support such a greater diversity of life in your backyard ecosystem than non-native plants. Remember, the best way to provide for garden birds is to plant your garden with a diverse range of plants to provide them with their natural food sources and habitat.

It is best to choose food-providing plants native to your area that grow well where you live.

Provide Clean Shallow Water

Goldfinches need water year-round for drinking and bathing, and offering a clean, shallow source can be just as attractive as the best feeder. Birds need a safe, clean source of water all year, not just when temperatures are high.

Providing them with water is a kindness, not just something that helps you see more bird varieties and individuals. Changing the water in your birdbath every few days is a good idea to keep it clean and fresh.

If you live in an area with hard water, you may need to change the water more often to prevent mineral buildup. Consider adding a water source to attract even more birds to your feeders.

Drinking water can be hard for birds to find in the winter, so putting out a bath is a real draw.

Add Dense Shrubbery Cover

Goldfinches are cautious birds that prefer feeding near protective cover where they can quickly retreat from hawks, cats, or other threats. They prefer living in dense shrubs but they’ll fly into your backyard during spring to forage, especially if you’ve filled your feeders up with its favorite bird foods, sunflower seeds, and millet.

While lesser goldfinches are rather rare, they show up in the western portion of the state during breeding season. They actually don’t care for dense forests and prefer shrubby or lightly forested areas.

Supply Sunflower Chip Snacks

While nyjer gets all the glory, goldfinches also eagerly eat hulled sunflower chips, especially during winter when they need high-energy foods to stay warm. You’ll have no trouble attracting American goldfinches with abundant seeds — black oil sunflower seeds, especially.

You can also encourage them to stick around by planting milkweed or thistle around your yard. Some sunflower seed mixes will be mixed with thistle (Nyjer), a favorite of finches, including goldfinches.

You can buy finch-specific food, which will be high in thistle, at your local bird seed supplier. A finch-specific feeder that allows the birds to pick out thistle will be a hot commodity and can keep finches coming back to your house throughout the year.

Skip Early Nesting Plants

Here’s something that surprises many backyard birders: goldfinches are late nesters, typically not breeding until July or even August. In winter, American goldfinches move around in flocks, often mixed with other finches, and descend on bird feeders in the countryside and in towns.

Among their very favorite foods are thistle seeds and sunflower seeds. Feeding goldfinches is a fun pastime, as they are common backyard birds known to gather at feeders in large numbers, especially when offered thistle (also called Nyjer) seed.