[EBB Sightings] Lesser vs. American Goldfinch ID

On Wed, 19 Dec 2007 09:58:43 -0800 (GMT-08:00), DANIEL EDELSTEIN

>3. The vent in SOME juvenile LESSER is yellow (and in all adult LESSER). The vent color in all age classes of AMERICAN is never yellow; it is white.

An easy way is that Lesser Goldfinches look about the same in winter as in
summer.  I.e., they are always bright yellow on the underparts and greenish
on the back.

American Goldfinches look totally different in winter and summer.  In
winter they are mostly brown with yellow (if any) confined to the head.  In
summer, they are boldly yellow and black (males) with females a bit duller.

In summer, bill color and leg color are helpful, but in winter, young
American Goldfinches can have dark legs and bills.  

The voices are very different year round.  

-- 
Joseph Morlan, Pacifica, CA 94044   jmorlan (at) ccsf.edu 
Birding Classes start Feb 5 in SF   http://fog.ccsf.edu/~jmorlan/
California Bird Records Committee   http://www.wfo-cbrc.org/cbrc/