Backyard Birding: American vs Lesser Goldfinch

If you are a backyard birder in the western United States, you may face the challenge of identifying and distinguishing between American Goldfinch and Lesser Goldfinch at your feeder.  I've personally felt that struggle, so I put in a little field guide study time and looked at my photos for clues to share with you.

The Lesser Goldfinch are featured in the middle, while the American Goldfinch are portrayed in inset photos in the bottom left and right corners.  Because the insets are so small, I didn't add text.  Please make note of the bright orange bill of the breeding plumaged male American Goldfinch and the yellow back compared to the dark bill and olive green back of the Lesser.  On the female American, notice the white under tail coverts and larger wing-bars.

Here is a male Lesser Goldfinch in flight.  Those white wing patches make for an easy i.d.; distinguishing the Lesser from American Goldfinches.

Female Lesser Goldfinch

Male Lesser Goldfinch

Here is another post I did a few months ago about telling the difference between non-breeding plumage Goldfinches.