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American Goldfinches are granivores exclusively. They nest late in the summer because they must wait for the plants to go to seed.
She builds the nest and incubates the eggs. He's responsible for keeping her fed while she incubates and for feeding the nestlings while in the nest and for some time after they leave the nest.
Here, a father AGF is about to feed its begging fledgling. The fledglings are funny to watch as they compete for their father's limited capacity to get seeds. They constantly chase him around, knocking each other off branches (literally), competing to be the one in front him, wherever he goes (including at the seed sources).
Eventually, they catch on to what he is doing at his various seed sources; they mimic him, and of course then begin to feed themselves.
If you have a bunch of sunflowers and a clan (my word) of AGFs, you are in for a show. AGF's attack sunflower heads, ripping them apart to get at the seeds.
If you feed birds, it is your responsibility to thoroughly disinfect each feeder about every month or so. AGF's are clannish. If you see a lone AGF at the feeder, it is likely unable to keep up with the bunch. Put the binoculars on its face and you are likely to see that it has scabs over its eye(s) from *finch conjunctivitis".
As the scabbing grows, it is going blind and death is likely.
Here is a good reference for that.
https://www.audubon.org/news/3-ways-keep-your-feeder-disease-free-birds
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