Lesser Goldfinch
Spinus psaltria
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassAves (Aus)
- OrderPasseriformes
- FamilyFringillidae (Fringíl·lids)
- GenusSpinus (Siskins and New World Goldfinches)
- SpeciesSpinus psaltria (Lesser Goldfinch)
The lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) is a small finch in the genus Spinus native to the Americas. As is the case for most species in the genus Spinus, lesser goldfinch males have a black forehead, which females lack. Males in this species vary strikingly in the color of their back across their range, from green in western North America to black in the eastern Rocky Mountains and Texas south to northern South America; this variation has resulted in five subspecies being recognized. Wikipedia →
30–40% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Goldfinch sighting in Joshua Tree National Park, based on 1,596 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Joshua Tree National Park
Lawrence's Goldfinch
Spinus lawrencei
Pine Siskin
Spinus pinus
American Goldfinch
Spinus tristis
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
Cassin's Finch
Haemorhous cassinii
Evening Grosbeak
Hesperiphona vespertina
Purple Finch
Haemorhous purpureus
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostra
Common Raven
Corvus corax
Verdin
Auriparus flaviceps
White-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrys
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a Lesser Goldfinch in Joshua Tree National Park?
About 35% of wildlife watchers report a Lesser Goldfinch sighting in Joshua Tree National Park, based on 1,596 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see Lesser Goldfinch in Joshua Tree National Park?
September has the highest sighting rate for Lesser Goldfinch in Joshua Tree National Park in our monthly data.