Lesser Goldfinch

Lesser Goldfinch, male, green-backed form

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Lesser Goldfinch, female

Lesser Goldfinch, male, black-backed form

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

The Lesser Goldfinch is a small, seed-eating finch of the Southwest. It comes in two forms: a dark-backed one in Texas, and a greenish-backed one farther westward.

Description

• Small bird.
• Bill small, pointed, conical, and dark.
• Body bright yellow to dull brown.
• Wings dark with large white wingbars and patches of white.
• Large white patch in wing visible in flight.
• Tail short and notched.
• Breeding male bright yellow with black cap and wings, some with black backs.

Sex Differences

Male bright yellow and black, female duller and without black.

Sound

Song a long combination of variable notes and phrases, repeated in rambling, intricate melody. Call a high, clear "tee-yee."

Conservation Status

Populations appear stable.

Other Names

Chardonneret mineur (French)
Jilguero dominico (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• Male Lesser Goldfinches in the most eastern part of their range in the United States tend to have black backs and napes. Those found to the westward have green backs and only a black cap. The amount of black varies throughout the range, with many birds having partly-green backs. The amount of black shown by males can vary within a given locality too. South of central Mexico, all of the males are black-backed.

Sources used to construct this page:

Watt, D. J., and E. J. Willoughby. 1999. Lesser Goldfinch (Carduelis psaltria). In The Birds of North America, No. 392 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.