474 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 2 37 p^RT i 



Food. — Though the food of the lesser goldfinch has not been analyzed 

 in detail, it consists, like that of other goldfinches, primarily of seeds 

 of weeds, grasses, shrubs, and trees of various kinds. It is especially 

 fond of the seeds of the wild sunflower and burr thistle which are 

 abundant in many parts of its range. It has also been reported as 

 feeding on the flowers of cottonwood trees. Several observers state 

 it sometimes feeds on the fruits of the creosote bush and on the long- 

 winged carpels of the cliff rose. At favored feeding spots these gold- 

 finches frequently associate with other birds of similar feeding habits 

 such as siskins. 



Distribution 



Range. — Arizona, Colorado, and Oklahoma to central and southern 

 Mexico. 



Breeding range. — The lesser goldfinch breeds, and is largely resident, 

 from central eastern Arizona (Springerville) , northern Colorado 

 (Grand Junction, Fort Collins), northwestern Oklahoma (Kenton), 

 and northern and central Texas (Palo Duro Canyon, KerrvUle, Austin) 

 south through central, eastern, and southern Mexico to Guerrero 

 (Chilpancingo), Oaxaca (Cerro San FeHpe), and central Veracruz 

 ( Jalapa) . 



Winter range. — Winters through much of the breeding range, north 

 at least to western and northern Texas (El Paso, KerrviUe, Austin). 



Casual record. — ^Casual in southern Wyoming (Cheyenne). 



Egg dates. — Colorado: 1 record, May 10. 



Mexico: 1 record. May 30. 



SPINUS PSALTRIA HESPEROPHILUS (Oberholser) 



Green-backed Goldfinch 



PLATE 26 



Contributed by Jean Myron Linsdale* 



Habits 



The green-backed goldfinch is a common bird in the western states. 

 It breeds from southern Oregon and Utah to southern Lower Cali- 

 fornia, Sonora, and extreme southwestern New Mexico and winters 

 from northern California to Cape San Lucas. It lives on open lands 

 with a sparse tree cover and in brushlands, and occurs through a wide 

 range of climatic conditions. Less plentiful in the humid coastal 

 region, it prefers the dry foothills and the deserts where seeds and 



*The author's field work on this and the following species at the Hastings 

 Natural History Reservation was facilitated greatly by the generosity of the late 

 Frances Simes Hastings. For further information on both species see Linsdale 

 (1957). 



