The 3 Types of Goldfinches in the United States! (ID Guide)
What kinds of goldfinches can you find in the United States?
Goldfinches are known for their beautiful coloring and sweet song—no wonder they’re one of the most popular birds around!
Luckily, all of them visit bird feeders, so you have a great chance of attracting goldfinches to your yard. If you’re lucky, you may even see a goldfinch at my bird feeding station right now! I have a LIVE high-definition camera watching my bird feeders 24/7. 🙂
Here are the three types of goldfinches that live in the United States:
#1. American Goldfinch
- Spinus tristis
Identifying Characteristics:
- In summer, males are a vivid yellow with a black cap and black wings. Females are a duller yellow without a black cap.
- In winter, both sexes look the same and turn a pale brown/olive color. They’re identified by their black wings and white wing bar.
These small and colorful goldfinches are common in the United States.
They are known for their roller-coaster pattern of flying. But, honestly, it looks like they are having a ton of fun while in the air!
Luckily, American Goldfinches are relatively easy to attract to bird feeders! Try offering their favorite foods, which are sunflower kernels and Nyjer seed!
It’s also helpful to include bird feeders specially designed for goldfinches. These small birds are easily scared off by larger “bullies.” They’ll appreciate having places that only they can use! One of my favorite traits about these birds is that they can feed in any position, even upside down.
American Goldfinch Range Map
American Goldfinches are strict vegetarians. Their diet is exclusively made of seeds no insects, which is rare in the bird world. So naturally, they feast on seeds from asters, thistles, sunflowers, grasses, and many types of trees.
Because of their diet, American Goldfinches breed later than other birds. They wait until June or July, when most plants are in full seed production, ensuring there’s enough food for them to feed their babies.
To identify them by sound, listen for a pretty series of musical trills and warbles.
#2. Lesser Goldfinch
- Spinus psaltria
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males are bright yellow below with a glossy black cap, back, and wings. Also, look for white patches on the wings.
- Females and young males have olive backs, dull yellow underparts, and black wings marked by two whitish bars.
The Lesser Goldfinch is the smallest goldfinch in the United States.
But the crazy thing is they are pretty tough around food sources or wildflowers. For example, they’ve been known to chase away the larger Lawrence’s Goldfinches, to show dominance.
You’ll find them in weedy fields, farmlands, woodlands, desert oases, parks, and urban settings.
Look for these goldfinches gathered in large groups that can number up to several hundred individuals. You’ll see these flocks around feeding sites and water sources.
When flying, they have the same roller-coaster style flight as the American Goldfinch.
Lesser Goldfinch Range Map
Lesser Goldfinches are often found in the suburbs, where they are common visitors to feeders. These small finches eat sunflower seeds, along with the thin-hulled seeds of Nyjer/thistle.
The male’s song is a rapid medley of twittering notes, lasting up to 10 seconds.
#3. Lawrence’s Goldfinch
- Spinus lawrencei
Identifying Characteristics:
- Males are primarily gray with yellow on the breast, upper belly, wings, and back. Their chin, face, and crown of the head are black.
- Females are similar but have brown above, with no black in the face and less yellow in the plumage.
Lawrence’s Goldfinches are one of the most beautiful finches in the United States.
Interestingly, they are highly nomadic because they live in extremely arid areas. Nevertheless, these goldfinches move around constantly, looking for places that provide food and water.
Lawrence’s Goldfinch Range Map
Lawrence’s Goldfinches don’t get their yellow breeding feathers through molting (like most birds). Instead, the feathers become yellower as they wear, shedding their brownish color and exposing yellow parts of the feather beneath. They are the only goldfinches that develop breeding plumage in this manner.
This species is sometimes attracted to feeders. Your best bet is to fill them with Nyjer or shelled sunflower seeds.
Listen below as the male Lawrence’s Goldfinch sings several high-pitched notes mixed with some of their call notes. Typically, they’re more musical than other finches and often imitate other birds.
Do you need additional help identifying goldfinches?
Try this field guide!
Which of these goldfinches have you seen before in the United States?
Leave a comment below!
To learn more about other birds that live near you, check out these guides!
-
The 27 MOST Common Birds Found in the USA!
-
26 Birds of Prey That Live in the United States! (Owls, hawks, eagles)
Just American Goldfinches in Kent, WA., which is 18 mile SE of Seattle. I would love it if the Lesser Goldfinch came this far north….maybe with global warming and a drier climate like we’ve been having, they will come up here?? I have seen other species of birds not common up here, now are, due to global warming. (A side benefit?)
I also wish we had Northern Cardinals, also. Moving to the Seattle area from Northern NY State in 1984, we never see them here and I miss them and their song.
Blue Jays are another I miss. Stellers Jays are a close relative, but not as colorful.
We have a lot of lesser goldfinches in the Helotes, Texas area. They are the dominant bird we see at our feeders. I never have understood what is lesser about them, especially the males. They are so much fun to watch at our two feeders. We also see the American goldfinches from time to time, but never like the lesser goldfinches.
When I lived in Virginia, I had a patch of cone flowers that attracted Goldfinches when the flower dried in the fall. I haven’t sen one yet since moving to Texas…
Love your posts and love watching your feeders live 😍👍🏻🐦
American Goldfinch, Virginia
I absolutely LOVE my little Lesser Goldfinches that hang out in my yard all year here in northwest Nevada! I discovered last year that it was just easier to feed them shelled sunflower pieces. In my opinion, they are a fierce little bird that will stand up to the bigger birds and that includes the Crows and Black-Billed Magpies that visit my feeders as well. My one complaint that I talk to them about (I know, crazy lady that talks and sings to them!) is how messy they are when they eat. Hubby and I have modified the feeders to collect the have eaten seeds that they spit out and other LGs will eat them as well as the House Finches that hang out. Personally, I think the LGs are the least appreciated in the birding world. The are not as brilliant in color as their buddies, the American Goldfinches (who also visit during fall thru spring) so I think they are dismissed. This spring I kept hearing a “tink, tink, tink” sound that sounded like someone was tapping a glass with a spoon and for the life of me, could not figure out who was making it! Weeks later, I was outside sitting down watching the feeders, I suddenly heard it coming from one of the male LGs! He was perched on the highest point making this sound! I finally found a blog that LGs had been observed to be great mimics and I totally believe it! LOL I’ll close to say these little guys are SO underappreciated!