A Changing of Color

For any of you bird watchers out there, please disregard my ignorance here. The finches that I have been lovingly feeding all winter are still here feeding this very wet spring, however, they have put on different feathers!! At first I thought that these "goldfinches" were simply arriving from some tropical climate, a winters vacation in Mexico perhaps? But I was thinking that they sure looked like the birds I had been feeding all along, so I got out the bird book and did some research. They are the same birds, only the males become this glorious golden yellow color during mating season!! I cannot tell you how this tiny bit of information thrills me. I'm not sure why, but any new information especially about wildlife is fascinating to me. I have heard about and seen a few creatures who change their skins to aid in their survival but these finches apparently change color simply to be beautiful for their mates. Just for beauties sake. I sure hope that their mates appreciate this marvelous transformation. It has certainly brightened up my backyard.