Spinus lawrencei
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
Lawrence's goldfinch (Spinus lawrencei) is a small songbird of erratic distribution that breeds in California and Baja California and winters in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. At about 4.75 in (12.1 cm) long and weighing about 0.4 oz (11 g), it is slightly bigger than the lesser goldfinch and slightly smaller than the American goldfinch, with less yellow in the plumage than either. Adults of both sexes are gray with pink to grayish flesh-color bills, stubbier than other goldfinches'. They have yellow rumps and paired yellowish wing-bars, as well as yellow edges on the flight feathers and yellow on the breast. The tail is black, crossed by a white band. Plumage is duller in winter, brightening after a spring molt. Males are paler, with black caps and faces and larger areas of brighter yellow. Females are browner, have less and duller yellow, and lack the black. Juveniles resemble females but are even duller and have faint streaks on the upperparts and especially the underparts.
Calls include "a nasal too-err, also a sharp, high PIti and Itititi". The flight call, which is diagnostic, is given as "a high, clear ti-too" or tink-ul "reminiscent of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Yosemite National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Joshua Tree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Death Valley National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Saguaro National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Lawrence's Goldfinch sighting in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, based on 235 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 64th most-seen of the 152 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–March, May and November–December
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Lawrence's Goldfinch in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks on a given day, against under 5% in August, the lowest month. Those are among Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in September.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Lawrence's Goldfinch sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Yes
Of the 6 parks where we can rate Lawrence's Goldfinch sightings, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Yosemite National Park (United States, under 5%) and Joshua Tree National Park (United States, under 5%).
Same genus: Spinus
The closest relatives of the Lawrence's Goldfinch that you can see in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (genus Spinus, Siskins and New World Goldfinches) are Lesser Goldfinch (about 30%) and Pine Siskin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Lawrence's Goldfinch is recorded against all the birds logged in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (235 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
