The female incubates for 12 to 13 days and broods the chicks for four or five days, staying almost constantly on the nest; the male brings food. After the fourth day, the female joins the male in food-gathering trips but still broods at times through the seventh day. The chicks fledge at about 13 or 14 days, and after another 5 to 7 days leave the family to join a pre-migratory flock. Flocking During the breeding season, males join to form small flocks while females are on the nest. At other times, birds are found in flocks that typically comprise under 50 individuals but are occasionally over 500. Flocks may mix with other small seed-eating species. Taxonomy This species is remarkably homogeneous with no subspecies and, according to one study, no genetic variation at the 23 loci tested. cited in Etymology This bird's name commemorates the American ornithologist George Newbold Lawrence. Phylogeny and Evolution Within Spinus, this species forms a monophyletic clade with the American Goldfinch and Lesser Goldfinch. Among the North American goldfinches, Lawrence's diverged first, meaning the other two species are more closely related to each other than either is to Lawrence's. References Further reading Articles External links Lawrence's goldfinch photos – Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center Lawrence's goldfinch Endemic birds of Southwestern North America Native birds of the Southwestern United States Native birds of the West Coast of the United States Birds of Mexico Birds of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Fauna of the California chaparral and woodlands Fauna of the Mojave Desert Fauna of the Sonoran Desert Fauna of the Lower Colorado River Valley Fauna of the Colorado Desert Fauna of the Yuma Desert Lawrence's goldfinch Lawrence's goldfinch