Goldfinch WESTERN BIRDS 



GENUS ASTE AGALINUS : GREEN- 

 BACKED GOLDFINCH. 



Green-Backed Goldfinch: Astragalinus psaltria hes- 

 perophilus. 



FAMILY— FINCHES, SPARROWS, ETC. 



The Pacific Coast is blest with another species of 

 these birds which is the most abundant of any of them, 

 staying about the gardens of southern California all 

 the year around and enlivening things with their jovial 

 songs. 



This little Green-backed Goldfinch is about four inches 

 in length, and is found from southern Oregon, and Utah 

 south along the coast to southern Lower California and 

 extreme southwestern New Mexico. It is also known 

 as the Arkansas, but in the A. 0. U. Check List a bird 

 bearing this name is attributed to northern Colorado, to 

 central-northern Texas and south, being casual in Wy- 

 oming. 



The Green-backed is not so handsome as is the Wil- 

 low, having the bright yellow on his breast, only, his 

 back being olive, with cap, wings, and tail black, the two 

 latter having white markings which are conspicuous in 

 flight. The female lacks the black cap and her under 

 parts are a duller yellow. 



The female does the building, constructing a dainty 

 cup-shaped nest of plant fibers and down, and placing 

 it in an upright crotch of shrub, thistle, fruit, or shade 

 tree, from a few feet to twenty or more. At times she 

 is very tame and trusting, allowing her back to be 

 stroked as she broods or sits beside the nestlings. 



In the nest I have watched, the eggs, sometimes as 

 many as five, were laid succeeding days, the female be- 

 ginning the brooding with the laying of the first day. 



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