American Goldfinch by Samuel Medina

Painted: 11/29/22

About the Bird: American Goldfinches can be found throughout the United States, the bird’s golden hue—which females wear more subtly than the flashy males—a common site at feeders especially in winter. They can also be attracted to yards by planting native milkweed and thistles, which the birds climb acrobatically to glean for seeds. Goldfinches’ also use thistle, along with plant fibers and spiderwebs, to build cup nests so well-crafted they may even hold water. Although widespread now, at the current pace of warming the species is projected to lose some 65 percent of its breeding range in North America, pushing it out of much of the lower 48 states. Spring heat waves and heavy rainfall, additional effects of climate change, may also endanger young birds.

About the Artist: Samuel Medina is a student at Bronx Community College. His artistic interests range from the visual arts, painting, sculpture, and public art to drama, and he has acted in a number of productions, including as Kevin Rosario in the first (and so far only) stage production of In The Heights to have been performed in Washington Heights—at George Washington High School, his alma mater. Living on 151st street, Sam has witnessed the Audubon Mural Project’s beginnings and progress and has assisted on many of the projects, most notably on Carlos Pinto and John Sear’s mosaic installation.