Males are very distinct from other goldfinch species ... A very pale female lesser can show whitish undertail coverts, but it has a different wing pattern than all Americans and is always greener ...

All other plumages can be separated from the lesser goldfinch by their bolder wing pattern and white undertail coverts. The female Lawrence’s goldfinch is gray like a nonbreeding adult female ...

The American goldfinch prefers to nest in shrubbery, making them difficult to spot. The Lesser goldfinch, alternatively, ...