The American Goldfinch breeds across southern Canada, from the east to the west coast. The Breeding Bird Survey indicates that populations within Canada have shown little overall change since about 1970, though the species has shown significant regional decreases, particularly in the west. The American Goldfinch is thought to have benefited in some areas from alterations brought to the landscape by humans; there is little cause for conservation concern for this abundant species.
Like many of the songbirds of brushland or early successional habitats, the American Goldfinch benefited from forest-clearing for farmland and community development (McGraw and Middleton 2017). However, the species is thought to be negatively affected by habitat loss due to intensification of agriculture and urbanization, as well as by predation by domestic cats (McGraw and Middleton 2017).
Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:
Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.