Sounds like a common yellow throat warbler - a warbler of some kind for sure, if you're positive it's not a goldfinch.
Cute, aren't they? I'm waiting for them at my feeders though I've seen them flitting about in the trees.
Hester

Hi Hester,

I am positive these are not Goldfinches. Those are yellow and black. These are olive color. Thanks. :0) Warbler... hmmm come to think of it I may have asked MaNature about them last year as I was hoping they were juvie Indigo Buntings. lol

Cliff

Tropicalfreak,

The goldfinches are only black & yellow when in breeding colors. This time of the year they are more olive colored and drab.

Bamboo_rabbit, that is interesting.

So, I look out this a.m. and there are more lil olive green birds and a Painted Bunting! Hoping it is the same one from last year.

Where is MaNature?

Tropicalfreak

Here I am Cliff! *waving wildly*

Sorry I missed your post yesterday. My 5-year old granddaughter has been visiting us, and I've been run near-about ragged! Haha.

Kind of hard to know for sure from just the olive green description, but a warbler or possibly a bunting seems likely. Female painted buntings are light olive green, but don't usually have any bright yellow on them. But the reason I'm wondering if they might be buntings is because warblers don't usually come to feeders. However, having said that, some of them WILL stop by feeders when other food is scarce. It's just that they aren't normally feeder birds, where buntings and goldfinches are.

This time of year, goldfinches WOULD, indeed, be in their winter plumage, which is quite drab gray, mostly, but even in that plumage, they have noticeable black and white markings. Here is a picture of a goldfinch in winter plumage for you.

If you could get a picture, it would be super! I know I haven't been much help, but it's hard without seeing the bird, or without something really definitive in the description.

Hope you are enjoying your visitors, anyway!

Marcia

IMPE, warblers are teeny tiny w/ pointy little beaks & very fast & shy & they often flick their tails rapidly up & down. I often see them flitting about after flying insects. There are many, many varieties, according to my bird ID book. Palm warblers are the most common here, I believe.

Goldfinches have 'nutcracker' beaks like cardinals, so do buntings - right?

Here is a link that might be useful: FL warblers images

I found some great pictures that may help you identify the birds.
Sharon

Here is a link that might be useful: Smithsonian Migratory Birds

Hi Manature! No worries! Happy Holidays! Hope you are enjoying your time with them. Thanks.

Sharbear, Thanks for the pics. Definitely have the male Painted Bunting visiting. In the pics the ones I am in question about are like the one at bottom left corner of the pics. The majority look like that one. The most I have seen at one time is 8.

So, next question: is the male trveling with a Harem? lol Or are these juvies? hmmmmm...

Sorry Carol.
I missed thanking you for your input too. Thanks for the pics and distinguishing characteristics you shared.

Cliff

Cliff
So what did you decide they are ?? I've been calling them Non descript finches due to having no markings at all.
Have been invaded by a flock of what I believe to be English sparrows. Started with a few and now upwards of 100
at a time.lol Collared doves land on the feeder and turn it upsidedown lol Put some outdoor carpet below it which helps to recover some of the seed.
I didn't want to put up a feeder as I keep an aviary but only parakeets now so hopefully not too much of a threat lol. Squirrels have found it can rats be far behind ?? lol

Well Gary.. They look like the Bunting. They are messy eaters; I have the wrong type feeder or seed. lol Dropping more seed than eating it. Wow! 100 at a time!! lol eeeeek.

Haven't seen them in a few days since the Blue Jays came around. Note: I love anything blue but these birds are just plain mean. They are bullies of of the Avian world.

Cliff

Cliff
I got the really big bully hesterday .Hawk of some kind?? lol He hit the wire on the aviary so hard he was dazed for several minutes then he proceded to fly through the door in the shadehouse. Then tried to fly through the glass in the door that goes into the house. Hit the glass so hard he was dazed again for several minutes. I opened the doors and the roof vents but it took him over an hour to figure that out lol Nothing was harmed except for the screen but was loose anyway. Did give those parakeets heart failure but they recovered . Wild birds scattered .
Within an hour were back feeding again lol gary