A True Bird Mystery: Chapter 5 - A Golden Opportunity

Welcome to the fifth installment in our true bird mysteries, a true-crime-inspired series. Hints will be mixed throughout this article, so use your investigative skills to solve!

This mystery will not pale in comparison when the answer springs forth.

This is the third entry in the "A True Bird Mystery" series. This series will progress in difficulty, so if you like solving mysteries, riddles, and scavenger hunts... Join Us, SherLARK Holmes! (That was not a clue.) Drop answers in the comment section at the bottom of this riddle!

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All chapters of "A True Bird Mystery:"

1. A Silent Introduction

2. Nothing but Silent

3. Sit a Spell

4. I Can't Believe it's Not Butter

5. A Golden Opportunity

6. A Wandering Band of Thieves

7. A Surplus of Joy

8. A Red Herring

Where should you look for clues? Everywhere. Pay attention to weird word choices and unusual phrases, and consider contextual clues. Look for anything out of the ordinary in this article!

Remember, scroll slowly so you do not jump ahead and see the answer or spoilers!

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You are my sunshine... until you fall

Your name is a cinch

I can remember in a pinch

While I munch on a chip

I view your flaxen drip

Summer end comes around

Your song begins its sound

A humble vegetarian

With plumage not egalitarian

Undulate and pass by

Flocking might you fly

That hint was gregarious

Misunderstanding is precarious

Your color makes me paranoid

Through its derivation by carotenoid

My clues are not too mellow

This bird is clearly... quite the fellow. (I almost gave it away)

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Want more riddles? Of Course!

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You are my sunshine... until you fall (with clues emphasized)

Your name is a cinch

I can remember in a pinch

While I munch on a chip

I view your flaxen drip

Summer end comes around

Your song begins its sound

A humble vegetarian

With plumage not egalitarian

Undulate and pass by

Flocking might you fly

That hint was gregarious

Misunderstanding is precarious

Your color makes me paranoid

Through its derivation by carotenoid

My clues are not too mellow

This bird is clearly... quite the fellow. (I almost gave it away)

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What am I? Find out!

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A summary of clues with HINTS!

1. Golden opportunity

   1. Hints at the birds color

2. Sunshine, fall

   1. Hints at the color, but maybe the season is important?

3. Cinch, pinch

   1. Words that offer little help except...

4. Chip

   1. A word often used to describe something this bird does

5. Flaxen drip

   1. Drip is slang for style, clothing, and look. Look up flaxen.

6. Summer end, song sound

   1. Why does the sound come at summer's end?

7. Vegetarian

   1. This bird may not consume much, or any, animal matter.

8. Plumage not egalitarian

   1. Plumage is not equal across the ages and sexes of this species.

9. Undulate

   1. An adjective for its movement?

10. Flocking

    1. A bird that flocks?

11. Gregarious

    1. Confirms 10?

12. Color, carotenoid

    1. More help describing the color by using its pigment.

13. Mellow, fellow

    1. More rhyming, like number 3.

FINAL HINT (MAJOR SPOILER): Check out this article.

Attract your own mystery birds!

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Learn about this bird's favorite seed!

Do you know the answer?

• Yes
• No

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SPOILER: The answer is below!

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The mystery is solved, an American Goldfinch!

Revealed - Our mystery bird is the American Goldfinch!

Learn about the basis for the clues

1. Golden opportunity

   1. American Goldfinch

2. Sunshine, fall

   1. The American Goldfinch turns brownish during its fall molt.

3. Cinch, pinch

   1. These rhyme with finch.

4. Chip

   1. Some describe the flight call of the American Goldfinch as saying "potato chip."

5. Flaxen drip

   1. Flaxen means yellow, and drip means look/style. So this bird has a yellow look.

6. Summer end, song sound

   1. The American Goldfinch nests late in the season, and the male American Goldfinch sings late into summer.

7. Vegetarian

   1. The American Goldfinch rarely eats insects or other animal matter.

8. Plumage not egalitarian

   1. Male and female goldfinches have different plumage appearances.

9. Undulate

   1. The flight of the American Goldfinch is described as undulating.

10. Flocking

    1. The goldfinch is a flocking bird.

11. Gregarious

    1. The goldfinch is a flocking bird.

12. Color, carotenoid

    1. Carotenoids are the pigments that create yellow feathers.

13. Mellow, fellow

    1. More rhyming. For yellow.

How did you do? Comment your thoughts in the comment section below! Here are the things to share with us in the comments:

1. Which clue solidified your guess?

2. Did you need the clues pointed out in the second section?

3. Did you need the summary with hints?

4. Did you use the major spoiler?

5. Let us know below!

Use Nyjer seed to attract goldfinches! Click the button below to see a favorite!

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Learn more about the American Goldfinch!

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