This member of the Fringillidae family is busy harvesting seeds from a wild sunflower. Members of this family have short stout beaks adapted for cracking the seeds they eat.

The American Goldfinch, Spinus tristis, is a small robin-sized bird that migrates through West Texas during the winter. The feathers of the male of this species change from the yellow green on the head, breast and belly to a bright egg yolk yellow.

The top of their head during the spring breeding season is capped by a black triangle while the feathers at the base of the tail are snow white. Quite a transformation for this bird.

What you see in the photos is a male bird in winter plumage. These photos were taken in early February, 2016.

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