The brightly colored male American goldfinch is especially recognizable ... Body entirely bright lemon yellow with white undertail coverts. Jet black cap. Black wings with yellow lesser coverts ...

The lesser goldfinch isn't as stunning as the American goldfinch. The yellow just isn't as vibrant. From Texas to Colorado, males have black backs, but farther west, males are green-backed.

The male American goldfinch sports three main feather colors during breeding season: golden yellow, black and white. Look for a small yellow bird with black wings, tail and forehead and an orange ...