344 Birds of Colorado 
Western Goldfinch. Astragalus tristis pallidus. 
A.O.U: Checklist no 520a—Colorado Records—Cooke 97, p. 212; 
Aiken 00, p. 298; Gilman 07, p. 156; Rockwell 08, p. 171. 
Description.—Closely resembling A. tristie, but distinctly larger ; 
the breeding males perhaps a shade paler and the winter males paler 
and greyer, and as compared with typical eastern specimens the white 
markings of the wings and tail more extended ; but the typical form in 
Colorado is somewhat intermediate in this respect. Dimensions of a 
Colorado example, a male in breeding plumage: Length 4-8; wing 
3-0; tail 1-90; culmen -42; tarsus -52. 
Distribution.—The Rocky Mountain region of western North America, 
from British Columbia and western Manitoba south to northern and 
eastern Mexico. 
Mr. Aiken first pointed out that both the subspecies of Goldfinch 
occurred in Colorado, but the present subspecies seems the rarer in 
the eastern portion; it is represented in the Aiken collection by one 
Colorado example—a male in breeding plumage, taken close to 
Colorado Springs on 17th May, 1898. The Goldfinch of La Plata co. 
and south and west Colorado is probably the western form. This 
subspecies most probably breeds in Colorado, though so far has not been 
definitely recorded as doing so. It is reported from Grand Junction, 
November 11th (Rockwell). 
Arkansas Goldfinch. Astragalinus psaltria. 
A.0.U. Checklist no 530—Colorado Records—Say 23, vol. ii., p. 40; 
Henshaw 75, p. 245; Drew 81, p. 90; 85, p. 16; Allen & Brewster 
83, p. 161; Beckham 85, p. 141; 87, p. 124; Morrison 88, p. 73; 89, 
p. 38; Nash 97, p. 29; Cooke 97, pp. 99, 213; Keyser 02, p. 32; 
Henderson 03, p. 108; 09, p. 236; Gilman 07, p. 156; Rockwell 08, 
p. 171; Warren 09, p. 16; Cary 09, p. 182. 
Description.—Male—General colour above, including the ear-coverts, 
olive-green ; top of the head, wings and tail, and upper tail-coverts 
black ; a patch at base of primaries, the edges and the inner secondaries 
the tips of the middle-coverts, the inner webs, except the tips of the 
three outer tail-feathers, all white; below bright canary-yellow ; iris 
brown, bill horny-brown, legs brownish. Length 4-20; wing 2-65; 
tail 1-70; culmen -40; tarsus -47. : 
The female has the crown like the back, but generally with slight 
traces of dusky streaks ; the wing and tail like the male, but rather duller 
in colour and the white somewhat restricted ; below dull olive-yellow 
paling posteriorly ; size smaller, wing 2-45. The young bird is like 
the adult female, but tinged with buffy. 
Distribution.—The western United States, breeding from northern 
California to the eastern base of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado ; 
south in winter to Lower California, Arizona and New Mexico 
