FINCHES 



plniit fihrrs with whicli to line its nest, which 

 is made of weed stems and fine grasses. 



Its nest is phiced indiscriminately in bushes 

 or trees up to fifty feet from the ground. 



Green-backed goldfinch, A.stragalinus 

 psaUria hesperophilus. 4,50 



Distribution: Southwestern United States 

 and northwestern Mexico, northward 

 through California and Oregon to southern 

 AYashington; common in the coast valleys 

 north to the Columbia River. 



The green-backed goldfinch is not nearly 

 so common a bird as the willow goldfinch, and 

 on account of its quieter habits and dark 

 olive-green dress, with blackish upperparts, it 

 usually escapes the attention of the casual 

 observer. It seems to stay in the open spaces 

 more than does the willow goldfinch, and 

 apparently does not consort with it on the 

 feeding grounds. The green-backed gold- 

 finch has all of the interesting ways of the 

 family, the same querulous talking notes and 

 quaint little song as it sits perched on bush 

 or tree, and the same undulating flight as 

 it goes darting across a field. Its nest is 

 placed in bushes or small trees and is similar 

 in composition and construction to that of the 

 willow goldfinch. 



85 



