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Lawrence's Goldfinch

Carduelis lawrenceiOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Finches (Fringillidae)
Codes: Common Name: LAGO Scientific Name: CARLAW ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179232
Least Concern
 
Lawrence's Goldfinch
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Birdman Mel's Backyard Tips
Jelly Jar Jelly Feeder
The orange "blossum" replaces the lid of a jelly jar.
Attract Orioles with Fruit
Sliced orange secures easily to the center of the ring. Low cost.
Attract with Nectar
Hex shaped nectar feeds several Orioles. Nectar kept in fridge.
Charm and Attraction
Lovely copper umbrella keeps fruit cool and looks great.

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.

Topo Map: Perching-like Body


Listen to Call

Similar Sounding

Voice Text

"tink-tink-tink"

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.

 Unlike most migratory birds, they move mostly to the east and west, rather than northward and southward, between seasons.

 This species is remarkably homogenous, with no known subspecies and, according to one study, no genetic variation among birds tested at 23 different locations.

 A group of goldfinches has many collective nouns, including a " 007", "charm", "rush", "treasury", and "vein" of goldfinches.


Bird Term Glossary



Author

Gary Owen Dick

Artist

Yury Lisyak

Splitbar
Range Map for Lawrence's Goldfinch

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Family Buntings, Finches, Sparrows (Emberizidae)_blue
Species Carduelis lawrencei
Length4.75 Inches
Wingspan8.25 Inches

Lawrence's Goldfinch

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.

● Song: "tink-tink-tink"

● Foraging & Feeding: Lawrence's Goldfinch: Eats seeds and insects; forages in foliage and on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Lawrence's Goldfinch: Four or five light blue, sometimes brown spotted eggs are laid in a tightly woven cup nest set in a low tree or bush. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female.

● Similar species: Lawrence's Goldfinch: Lesser Goldfinch has an olive-green back, yellow rump, and yellow-green underparts.

Flight Pattern

High swift bounding flight with rapid wing beats.
Lawrence's Goldfinch Body Illustration
● Range & 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.
BreedingMonogamous, Loose colonies
PopulationFairly common
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight0.4 Ounces
Perching-like BodyX
UnderpartsX
Belly, undertail coverts, chest, flanks, and foreneck.
BreastX
The upper front part of a bird.
CapX
The area on top of the head of the bird.
FaceX
The front part of the head consisting of the bill, eyes, cheeks and chin.
NapeX
Also called the hindneck or collar, it is the back of the neck where the head joins the body.
RumpX
The area between the uppertail coverts and the back of the bird.
4 and 6 letter alpha codesX

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

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ITIS CodesX

The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) was established in the mid-1990�s as a cooperative project among several federal agencies to improve and expand upon taxonomic data (known as the NODC Taxonomic Code) maintained by the National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

To find the ITIS page for a bird species go to the ITIS web site advanced search and report page at http://www.itis.gov/advanced_search.html. You can enter the TSN or the common name of the bird. It will return the ITIS page for that bird. Another way to obtain the ITIS page is to use the Google search engine. Enter the string ITIS followed by the taxonomic ID, for example "ITIS 178041" will return the page for the Allen's Hummingbird.

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Parts of a Standing birdX
Head Feathers and MarkingsX
Parts of a Flying birdX