American goldfinch
Image copyright by Mark A. Chappell
The most brightly colored of the goldfinches in the western US is the American goldfinch (although my personal favorite is the somewhat more subtle Lawrence's goldfinch). Eastern males (below right) can be even more intensely yellow than most of these individuals, which were photographed in Riverside, California (upper left), and the nearby San Jacinto Wildlife Area. . In this part of the world, lesser goldfinches are much more common, so it was nice to find cooperative male American goldfinches -- even ones that aren't in perfect plumage. . The eastern bird was in Manhattan, Kansas.
