ericgbirder's Identifications

MALE Lesser Goldfinch.

COMPARISON of 3 Goldfinches (Spinus genus):
Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)
Lawrence's Goldfinch (Spinus lawrencei)

Visual comparison of 4 species of Goldfinches: The Cornell Lab: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/search/?q=Spinus+lawrencei

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Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) Is a small songbird, only 11 cm (4.5 inches) long. It is smaller and darker billed than the American Goldfinch. Both male and female have white wing patch at base of primaries. Adult male has and entire black crown. Underside, starting at lower bill, is bright yellow. Adult females and juveniles have dull yellow underside. There are several subspecies. Two color patterns occur in the United States. Males in some areas may be either green-backed or black-backed. Lesser Goldfinches gather in scrubby oak, cottonwood, and willow habitats of the western U.S., or visit suburban gardens for seeds and water. These finches primarily eat the seeds of plants. In bird feeders, they especially enjoy Nyger seeds.

Link to Female Lesser Goldfinch : https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/197844034
Link to Male Lesser Goldfinch: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/197821575

Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/search_results?search=Spinus%20psaltria

Ebird with species description, range map and sound recordings: with species description, range map and sound recordings: https://ebird.org/species/lesgol/

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 7th ed., 2017, pp. 442-443.

The Cornell Lab (Birds in U.S. and Canada): https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lesser_Goldfinch

Xeno-canto Bird songs, sound recordings, and species range map: https://xeno-canto.org/species/Spinus-psaltria

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COMPARED TO

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) Larger and lighter billed than Lesser Goldfinch. It is a small, migratory songbird that displays sexual dichromatism: the male is a vibrant yellow in the summer and an olive color during the winter, while the female is a dull yellow-brown shade which brightens only slightly during the summer. The male displays brightly colored plumage during the breeding season to attract a mate.

Xeno-canto: Bird songs, sound recordings, bird range and migration map: https://xeno-canto.org/species/Spinus-tristis

Ebird with species description, range map and sound recordings: https://ebird.org/species/amegfi

The Cornell Lab: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/

Audubon Guide to North American Birds: https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-goldfinch

My favorite photo/observation of female American Goldfinch: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/218957847

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COMPARED TO

Lawrence's Goldfinch (Spinus lawrencei) is a small, migratory songbird in the Siskins and New World Goldfinches (Spinus) genus. It is "unique among goldfinches because of its mostly gray body. Male has black forehead and throat, yellow breast, and complex black and yellow pattern on wings. Female is duller. It is found in open grassy woodland. It is uncommon, but sometimes travels in large flocks, especially in fall and winter. Highly erratic, moves around a lot from year-to-year; difficult to track down with much reliability. Feeds on seeds. Sometimes visits feeders."

Ebird with species description, range map and sound recordings: https://ebird.org/species/lawgol

Link to my favorite observation of Laurence's Goldfinch https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/216038130

Xeno-canto: Bird songs, sound recordings, bird range and migration map: https://xeno-canto.org/species/Spinus-lawrencei

The Cornell Lab: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lawrences_Goldfinch/

Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/lawrences-goldfinch

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, pp. 442-443.

Visual comparison of 4 species of Spinus: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/news/search/?q=Spinus+lawrencei

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BIRDS (Annotated References)

The Cornell Lab (Birds in U.S. and Canada, includes Compare with Similiar Species) https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/

Xeno-canto: Bird songs, sound recordings, bird range and migration map: https://xeno-canto.org/about/xeno-canto

Audubon Guide to North American Birds https://www.audubon.org/bird-guide

Ebird with species description, range map and sound recordings: https://ebird.org/explore

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 7th ed., 2017

National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of Western North America, ed. Jon L. Dunn, 2008

Monterey Birds, Don Roberson, 2nd ed. 2002, sponsored by Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society

Merlin Bird ID: How to use/get the portable App (Bird ID help for 8,500+ species) https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

Comprehensive Feather I.D. tools and more: https://foundfeathers.org/resources/

Found Feathers (Worldwide): https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/idtool.php