Lawrence's Goldfinch

Overview

Lawrence's Goldfinch: Small finch with gray nape and back and yellow-gray rump. Underparts are white; breast is yellow. Cap and face are black. Wings are dark with bright yellow bars. Feeds on seeds and insects. Swift bounding flight, alternates rapid wing beats with wings pulled briefly to sides.

Range and Habitat

Lawrence's Goldfinch: Breeds in central and southern California, west of Sierra Nevada and south into Baja California. Spends winters south and east to extreme western Texas. Found near dry grassy slopes with weed patches, chaparral, and open woodlands.

INTERESTING FACTS

The Lawrence's Goldfinch was named by John Cassin in 1850 for his colleague George Newbold Lawrence, a New York businessman and ornithologist.
This species is remarkably homogenous, with no known subspecies and, according to one study, no genetic variation among birds tested at 23 different locations.
Unlike most migratory birds, they move mostly to the east and west, rather than northward and southward, between seasons.
A group of goldfinches has many collective nouns, including a " 007", "charm", "rush", "treasury", and "vein" of goldfinches.

The Lawrence's Goldfinch is currently evaluated as Least Concern. The previous rating for this bird species was Lower Risk. This rating was downgraded in 2004 to Least Concern. This bird is native to the United States and Mexico. It is particularly known to breed in both central and southern portions of California as well as the western regions of Arizona. The range of this bird is particularly large as is its population. This bird is considered to be common enough to warrant no immediate concerns regarding possible decline of its population.