Lesser goldfinch
Carduelis psaltria
Identification Tips:
- Length: 3.75 inches
- Small, seed-eating bird
- Short, conical bill
- Short, forked tail
Male:
- Some males have black upperparts, others black crowns and green
upperparts
- Yellow underparts
- Black wings and tail
- White wing bars, tertial edges and patch in primaries
Female:
- Greenish upperparts
- Yellow underparts
- Black wings and tail
- White wing bars, tertial edges and patch in primaries
- Immature resembles female
Similar species:
The male Lesser Goldfinch in alternate plumage is quite distinctive.
Female Lesser Goldfinch is similar to female and immature American Goldfinch
but is greener above, yellower below, and has a white patch in the wing.
Length and wingspan from: Robbins, C.S., Bruun, B., Zim, H.S., (1966). Birds of North America. New York: Western Publishing Company, Inc.