Lesser goldfinch benefits from urban landscaping | Words on Birds
Human activity tends to have a negative effect on bird populations, namely due to habitat loss. However, over the past decades, some interesting trends have emerged in backyard habitats along the Front Range. Urban landscaping has added a lot more flowers, shrubs and trees and has effectively improved habitat for some species, allowing them to expand their ranges and numbers.
Lesser goldfinches and bushtits have always been in Colorado but are more abundant south of the state, in more desert-like areas. Both species have learned to thrive in urban areas along the Front Range, increasing their numbers and roaming more often up to the mountains. Lesser goldfinches have visited my yard area many times, but they are very unpredictable and absent in most years. Locally, some good areas to find them are Manitou Lake, Rainbow Gulch, Green Mountain Falls and Lake George. The lesser goldfinch typically arrives in Teller County in mid-May and departs by mid-October.
As a group, finches are popular visitors to yards and feeders. They have conical seed-eating beaks and deeply forked tails, employing acrobatic feeding techniques to access seeds. They often travel in flocks, and many finches have unique and musical songs and bright colored plumage of reds and yellows. Additional finches likely to be seen in Teller County include: American goldfinch, pine siskin, Cassin’s finch, house finch, evening grosbeak, red crossbill, pine grosbeak and the rosy-finches.
The tiny lesser goldfinch is about 4 ½ inches long. The male is more noticeable, with his canary yellow body contrasted by his black and white wings and tail. Note that the male comes in two varieties or subspecies: one has a black back and the other a green back, and both have entirely black heads. The similar male American goldfinch can be separated from the lesser goldfinch by his yellow back. The female lesser goldfinch is pale yellow below and greenish above, but she also has the black and white wings and tail. Goldfinches have an undulating (up and down) flight pattern; when they’re flying, look for the flashes of white on the black wings and tail.
The wonderful song of the lesser goldfinch is a joyful series of complex buzzes and whistles with a rapid tempo. Their distinctive call is a down-slurred whistle with a mournful quality. Lesser goldfinches can be found in weedy fields, riparian woodlands and ponderosa pine forest. Also look for them in urban areas and around farms and ranches. They prefer to eat tree buds and weed seeds (especially thistle) but will also eat insects and berries. They often show up around yard feeder areas.
Notable reports in June from the Woodland Park yard area:
-Eurasian collared-dove and warbling vireo; one or two around most of the time, singing.
-Rufous hummingbird; early “fall migrant” report from Westcreek area on June 24.
-Downy woodpecker and Clark’s nutcracker; a few sightings.
-Williamson’s sapsucker; a few sightings, calling, drumming.
-Red-headed woodpecker; report from Divide from May 30 to June 5, rare in Teller County.
-Cordilleran flycatcher and western wood-pewee; a few of each around most of the time, singing.
-Say’s phoebe; one around some of the time, singing, uncommon in Teller County.
-Western bluebird; one or two around some of the time.
-Townsend’s solitaire; a couple sightings, calling.
-House wren and black-headed grosbeak; a few around most of the time, singing.
-Western tanager; a few sightings, singing.
-Yellow-rumped warbler; one or two around some of the time, singing.
-Chipping sparrow and brown-headed cowbird; a few of each around most of the time, singing.
-Lincoln’s sparrow; one on June 1, singing.
-Red crossbill; one on June 28.
Joe LaFleur studied wildlife biology and communications at Colorado State University. He is author of the book Mountain Birds of Teller County and creator of “Better Birdwatching,” a DVD series on North American birds. His betterbirdwatching.com website features a Teller County Bird Checklist and Blog. Contact him with questions and feedback at joe@betterbirdwatching.com.
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