Lesser Goldfinch Male

The Lesser Goldfinch, also known as the Black-backed or Arkansas Goldfinch, is a small, social, seed-eating songbird. Adult males in breeding plumage are glossy black above, and bright yellow below, with white patches in the wings.

The particular male in the photos below spent a lot of time stripping seeds from the Walker’s Catmint in our Aldea backyard on June 12. This beautiful black and gold bird was an amazing visual contrast with the purple and green of the Catmint. Really made me stop and take notice.

If you are planting varieties of plants that will attract birds, bees, and butterflies, Walker’s Catmint is a good choice to include in your mix. I have also seen House Finches and Pine Siskins eating the dried seeds of Catmint in the winter months. Lesser Goldfinches also love thistle feeders and I have seen them in groups at our thistle feeder in Aldea.

I have occasionally seen Lesser Goldfinches in Aldea in the winter, but mostly in the spring, summer, and fall. They generally move to southern New Mexico and Mexico proper during winter months.

The presence of wild sunflowers, giant ragweed, and bird feeders may attract Lesser Goldfinches to more urban areas. They are also found in jumpers, oaks, and elms, usually near water. These birds often nest semi-colonially with each pair defending only the area near the nest. The lack of territorial singing and other aspects of their behavior make nests difficult to find.

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Lesser Goldfinch

It is so satisfying and soothing when hearing the pleasant calls of goldfinches announcing their arrival in the yard. I love the distinct, sweet calls and the more gentle demeanor of the goldfinches we are seeing now in Aldea. The Lesser Goldfinches particularly seem to be in abundance this winter along with Pine Siskins.

There are usually several of the less exuberantly colored females clinging to the thistle seed feeder at various times throughout the day. The more brightly colored males with the black cap seem to be in short supply this winter and they have been very skittish tending to hide more alone in our Rocky Mountain Juniper tree. 

There is one one male at times but I have not been quick enough with my camera to snap a few frames. I will add a photo as soon as I capture an image suitable for posting.

In addition to seeing Lesser Goldfinches at the thistle feeder, we are observing them dining on the dried native plant seeds and seed pods as shown in one of the photos.

Aldea is located at the very northern part of the Lesser Goldfinches year round range. They move throughout the rest of northern New Mexico and into Colorado in the summer. Since we just recently put up a thistle feeder, it will be interesting to see if they remain here all year long.

It is also interesting to note that a group of goldfinches has several collective nouns, including a “007”, “charm”, “rush”, “treasury”, and “vein” of goldfinches. My personal favorite is “A Treasury of Goldfinches” as they are a golden, valued treasure!

Click on photos to enlarge.