Cooler weather is finally starting to show up as far south as Louisiana (relatively speaking; we're dropping from highs in the mid-90's to highs in the mid-to-low-80's, but we'll take what we can get).

I was hoping to get some good fall migrant pictures in my yard this year, but so far there hasn't been much of anything to photograph. However, while out in California a couple of weeks ago, I managed to snag the goldfinch trifecta (American, Lesser, and Lawrence's, all in one day), and saw this one just in front of the car in a parking lot. At first, we wrote it off as an American Goldfinch already changing into his winter garb, but the more I looked at the picture, I realized the bill was wrong (Lesser have dark bills; American have pinkish bills) and there was more white than should be in the wing of an American-and in the wrong places. Additionally, if I'd thought about it, the day we saw this bird (September 13), an American would likely not have completed molting into his winter plumage.

So a Lesser Goldfinch it apparently is, which further illustrates how we should do careful study of what we think we see.

I don't know Kevin. For one thing the bill looks too big and the lesser coverts look pale yellowish. Lesser Goldfinch are also rather small headed to go with the small bill, and the undertail coverts look white to me. All that being said, I haven't seen a Lesser Goldfinch in years.

I hope you don't mind Kevin, because my comments are made with respect.

Hello Kevin,

I found this pic of a female Lesser Goldfinch...
http://www.pbase.com/dr24/image/85607734
And a male Lesser Goldfinch...
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/lesser_goldfinch/id

I will say this much...the beak on the birds in these pics are definately darker like your pic Kevin. And as you mentioned, the beaks of American Goldfinches are a peachy fleshtone in coloration except for the juvies. Neather bird pic above shows them in molting mode either...
So all I can do is offer these two pics and info to help. What reference guides I have don't have anything on the Lesser Goldfinch.

Susan Louise
from Branford CT/ live in Lincoln NE
Zone 5

Ward, I don't mind at all - in fact, I'm still not sure myself, except that I can't quite get the wing pattern of the American out of this one. The white in the wing looks too far into the range of the primaries. But - I could be wrong; that's why I posted the picture in the first place. It wouldn't be the first time I got an ID wrong even after studying photographs.

Kevin

I know exactly how you feel, we all go through it now and then. It is part of the "pleasure?" of birding.

Well I have only seen the american goldfinch (that I know of) But here is a website with pictures of all three. Scroll down to fourth and fifth row. I hope it helps:

http://davesnaturephotos.com/birds/scrub_or_open/


Here is another website with pictures for all three. Once again please scroll down.

http://vireo.acnatsci.org/feeders/american_goldfinch.html

sarah merion station, Pennsylvania zone 6B

Kevin, I've never seen a Lesser Goldfinch either but I've seen juvenile AMGO that have dark bills(at least over here they do anyways) I also believe the bill looks rather longish for a Lesser, but like I said, I've not seen one. It took me awhile to understand why Ward used to always say a picture is not always the best way to id a bird... But it is the mysteries like this one and Candy's post that make birding a lot more fun than bad reality TV!

Ruth
Everett, WA
Zone 8