Spinus lawrencei
male
Lawrence’s Goldfinch is a well-marked little finch. The sexes are dissimilar. Adult males have a black face, throat, and forecrown, and pale gray cheeks; the nape and back are gray in summer but olive-buff in winter. The dark wings have two yellow wingbars and yellow margins to the flight feathers. The breast is yellow, grading to gray on the rest of the underparts. A yellow rump is obvious in flight. Adult females recall an adult male in winter, but they lack any black on the face, are much paler overall, and have browner upperparts, especially in winter. Juveniles recall a heavily streaked winter female.
Lawrence’s Goldfinch is a specialty of California, its range extending to northern Baja California. Although it is present year-round within its range, its precise occurrence is hard to predict as birds wander in search of reliable food supplies; thistle seeds are a favorite.
female
FACT FILE
LENGTH 4.75 in (12 cm)
FOOD Invertebrates in summer; mainly seeds other times
HABITAT Scrub-covered slopes
STATUS Local
VOICE Song is a series of whistling and tinkling notes, sometimes including mimicry. Call has a bell-like quality
