Today I'm back to birds I've seen. The American Goldfinch is quite common all over the United States, and it's bright and beautiful. Interestingly, its scientific name is Spinus tristis. The second part means sad, and I read that it got that name because its call sounds sad. It doesn't sound sad to me; listen here and see what you think.
Photo Source: eBird.com
American Goldfinch
(Spinus tristis)
Are you sad, little goldfinch,
as your name suggests?
Are you sad,
flitting, bright yellow,
through warm places,
landing on feeders
and snacking on sunflower seeds,
brightening everyone’s day?
When you’re singing
“potato chip”
are those notes sad?
Hard to tell, little goldfinch.
Just like with people.
©Ruth Bowen Hersey
(Here's a post from 2022 about what goes through my mind when I see yellow and black birds here in East Africa.)
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