476 "Cr.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 23 7 part i 



Before noon one male flew about slowly, calling, with wings and tail 

 widely spread and revealing the full extent of the white patches. 

 Another male followed two others along the creek in a display flight. 



At the end of May 1942, goldfinches were numerous and active 

 among the blue oaks on a hilltop where they nested each year. The 

 males made many flight displays with fully spread wings. Many 

 females were active that day; apparently they were not yet on nests. 



On May 24, observations beginning at 8:30 a.m. were made on a 

 nest in the second day of construction. At times a light breeze swayed 

 the nest limb 3 or 4 inches. The sunshine was bright on the nest and 

 the air was warm. Both birds returned at 8 :53, the male 5 feet ahead 

 of the female. The male went to the nest tree 10 feet from the nest; 

 the female went to the nest limb 4 feet from the nest, and then to 

 the nest. There was a mating flight at 8:55. The male was in a 

 valley oak southeast of the nest tree, the female in the nest tree. 

 The male was 8 feet above the female. When the male flew down 

 toward the female, she flew up 2 feet toward him, and he mounted. 

 Both birds fell to bushes 3 feet above the ground, the male seemingly 

 always above. They fell 25 feet in 2 seconds. When the birds struck 

 the bushes they separated and the female flew into the bushes. The 

 male, behind by 2 feet, followed the female around through the bushes 

 under the nest tree. When the female flew to an oak 20 feet from the 

 nest tree, the male flew at her twice from 5 feet away, and she flew 

 off to forage or seek nesting material. When she returned to the 

 nest tree, the male followed 10 feet behind her. 



The high flights of the males with wings and tails widely spread 

 reveal the contrasting pattern of white and dark markings conspicu- 

 ously and attract special attention as the males fly out in circles near 

 the perched females. Near noon on June 7 a male flew in circles 35 

 feet in diameter, 10 feet up, around a female perched on a barbed 

 wire fence; he spread his tail, fluttered in flight, and uttered a continual 

 series of dee-dee notes and snatches of song. The female appeared 

 entirely unmoved by the performance. When she flew off the male 

 followed, singing and calling. 



On June 16, the males of five pairs of goldfinches were singing along 

 a creek. One male flew in circles around a female perched on a 

 twig 3 feet from the ground and seemingly oblivious to her mate's 

 display. In midmorning the next day a male in a dense stand of 

 live oaks in a canyon perched in a high tree top and flew out four 

 times over the lower trees, circling once each time, and sang the while 

 much more intensely than the light, whistling notes of the ordinary 

 song. After each flight he paused in the tree tops 60 feet above the 

 ground and sang leisurely. One or two birds uttered occasional notes 

 from adjacent trees during this time; then one flew up from the top 



