LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH 495 



Calif., "with their wheezy notes." Grinnell and Storer (1924) 

 characterized the song of the male as weak but varied and distinctive, 

 and the call notes single, low, and «dth a tinkling quality. They 

 point out that the song and clear, bell-like call notes are so distinctive 

 as to provide, after once learned, the readiest means of identification. 



The male's song in spring is high and melodious with many clear 

 notes, but seemingly higher in pitch and weaker in volume than that 

 of the green-backed goldfinch. Its main function appears to be the 

 establishment and maintenance of the pair bond. He sings mainly 

 when he is near the female, and his tones are richest during courtship. 

 He sings more continuously during the nest-building period than 

 some other small birds, though his song seems less strident then. 

 He also sings when attacking other males. 



Flocking Lawrence's goldfinches usually keep up a nearly continuous 

 twitter of thin clear-notes, high in pitch, but varied and musical. 

 In the autumn this tinkling twittering is occasionally accented when 

 one or two birds break into a series of high-pitched, rapid, ascending 

 and descending trills, often punctuated by longer clear notes, churrs, 

 and stutterings, some of which have a distinctly finchlike slur. 



Field marks. — Lawrence's goldfinch is a small, grajash bird about 

 half the size of a junco. The yellow on the under parts is restricted 

 to the breast; the outer surface of the mng is marked with yellow 

 and white which shows in flight. The flight feathers and tail are 

 chiefly black. The male may be recognized by the black markings 

 encircling the flesh-colored bill which, as he faces the observer, give 

 him a hooded appearance in winter as well as summer plumage. 

 The female is a duller grayish brown, with a bare suggestion of the 

 white markings of the male. 



Enemies. — Sharp-shinned and Cooper hawks occur frequently 

 where Lawrence goldfinches live. Even though pursuits are seen 

 often, the goldfinches nearly always escape. Scrub jays threaten 

 them, especially in the nesting season when they are regularly on 

 the lookout for vulnerable nests. One midmorning in July a fence 

 lizard {Sceloporus occidentalis) climbed up the nest limb of a pair 

 of Lawrence's goldfinches and up the side of the nest; it paused 

 at the rim, looked into the nest, turned back, and retraced its path 

 back down the limb without touching its contents. 



Winter. — Miss Enuly Smith (MS.) has observed that Lawrence's 

 goldfinches occasionally winter in the Santa Clara Valley. On 

 Jan. 8, 1948, near Los Gatos, a flock contained about 20 singing 

 birds. The species sometLmes remains through the winter on the 

 Hastings Reservation, but the first one observed in the winter of 

 1950-51 was recorded on January 30. 



