CreatureData

Lesser goldfinch

Spinus psaltria (Say, 1822)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) is a species in the family Fringillidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 8.77 g to 9.12 g and live up to 5.7 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)
Photo: Don Faulkner · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the lesser goldfinch

Weight
8.77 g – 9.12 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
5.7 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Granivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
12 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
4src for Young per litter or clutch
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the lesser goldfinch live?

Not recorded

What is the lesser goldfinch?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) is a small finch in the genus Spinus native to the Americas.

As is the case for most species in the genus Spinus, lesser goldfinch males have a black forehead, which females lack. Males in this species vary strikingly in the color of their back across their range, from green in western North America to black in the eastern Rocky Mountains and Texas south to northern South America; this variation has resulted in five subspecies being recognized.

From the Wikipedia article “Lesser goldfinch” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lesser_goldfinch&oldid=1347137143), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the lesser goldfinch endangered?

The lesser goldfinch is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the lesser goldfinch classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyFringillidae
  6. genusSpinus
  7. SpeciesSpinus psaltria (Say, 1822)

Synonyms Astragalinus psaltria, Carduelis psaltria

Other names and names in other languages (52)
  • حسون أصغArabic
  • الحسُّون الأصغرArabic
  • حسون أصغرArabic
  • حسون صغيرArabic
  • حسون قاتم الظهرArabic
  • Малък щиглецBulgarian
  • cadernera menudaCatalan
  • čížek mexickýCzech
  • Nico cefndduWelsh
  • MexicosiskenDanish
  • MexikozeisigGerman
  • eta kardeloEsperanto
  • Malgranda kardeloEsperanto
  • ChisgaSpanish
  • Capita negraSpanish
  • ChinchimbacalSpanish
  • ChirulíSpanish
  • Chirulí Capa NegraSpanish
  • Jilguerito DominicoSpanish
  • Jilguero aliblancoSpanish
  • Jilguero dominicoSpanish
  • Jilguero menorSpanish
  • Pardillo pequeñoSpanish
  • väikesiisikeEstonian
  • pikkutikliFinnish
  • Tarin mineurFrench
  • Chardonneret mineurFrench
  • zlatnotrbi čižakCroatian
  • kis aranypintyHungarian
  • Cardellino minoreItalian
  • Lucherino dorsoneroItalian
  • Lucherino minore americanoItalian
  • ヒメキンヒワJapanese
  • meksikinis alksninukasLithuanian
  • mazais dadzītisLatvian
  • Tsídiiłtsooí binághah diłhiłígííNavajo
  • WitbandsijsDutch
  • småstillitsNorwegian
  • czyż małyPolish
  • lugre-pequenoPortuguese
  • Pintassilgo-capa-pretaPortuguese
  • pintassilgo-pequenoPortuguese
  • Малый чижRussian
  • Мексиканский чижRussian
  • stehlík spevavýSlovak
  • мала зебаSerbian
  • Mali američki čižakSerbian
  • småsiskaSwedish
  • Koyu sırtlı sakaTurkish
  • Sarı-Siyah İsketeTurkish
  • чиж малийUkrainian
  • 暗背金翅雀Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the lesser goldfinch

Other species in the same genus Spinus.

EN, Endangered
Red siskin (Spinus cucullatus)

Red siskin

Spinus cucullatus

Fringillidae

LC, Least Concern

Black siskin

Spinus atratus

FringillidaeNo free photo yet

CompareLesser goldfinch vs Eurasian siskinLesser goldfinch vs American goldfinchLesser goldfinch vs Red siskinLesser goldfinch vs Black siskin

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the lesser goldfinch?

An adult lesser goldfinch weighs 8.77 g – 9.12 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the lesser goldfinch endangered?

The lesser goldfinch is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the lesser goldfinch live?

The lesser goldfinch has a recorded lifespan of 5.7 years.

What kind of animal is the lesser goldfinch?

The lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) belongs to the family Fringillidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-goldfinch

MLA

“Lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-goldfinch.

BibTeX
@misc{lesser_goldfinch_2026,
  title = {Lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-goldfinch},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}