Family: Fringillidae, Finches view all from this family

Description 3 1/2-4" (9-10 cm). Two forms of males: black-backed, which occur in southern part of range, and green-backed in the western part; both have black crown, white markings on black wing and tail, with bright yellow underparts. Nonbreeding black-backed male turns greenish, but both races retain black cap. Female is similar to American Goldfinch but smaller, with dark rump. Immature is similar to female, but with greener underparts.

Habitat Oak savannas, woodlands, suburban gardens.

Nesting 4-5 pale blue eggs in a twiggy nest in a bush or low tree.

Range Resident from Washington, Oregon, and northern Nevada east to northern Colorado and Texas, and south to beyond U.S.-Mexico border. Black-backed males are found from northern Colorado southward through Texas and westward to Utah and Arizona. Green-backed birds occur from Utah westward to Columbia River and southward into Mexico.

Voice   Song a rapid medley of twittering notes. Calls include a plaintive tee-yee? or cheeo?

Discussion Lesser Goldfinches feed on dandelion seeds and raise their young on soft unripe seeds. They adjust the time and place of their breeding to the presence of this staple food. Their Old World cousins, the Siskins, goldfinches, serins, and canaries, have been kept as cage birds for centuries, the males singing incessantly all year except during the molt period.