Finches are some of the most interesting birds you can find around a backyard feeder. They are usually easy to recognize once you know what to look for. Their colours, body shape, bills, calls and feeding habits can all help you figure out which finch has stopped by.
American Goldfinch
The American Goldfinch is one of the easiest finches to recognize, especially during the warmer months. Breeding males have bright yellow bodies with a black forehead, black wings and a notched black tail. Females are much duller in colour, with a yellow chest and darker wings and tail. Juveniles (younger birds) look similar to females, so their appearance can make identification a little more difficult.
- Size: About 5 inches long with a 9 to 10 inch wingspan
- Food: Mainly seeds, especially Nyjer and sunflower
During winter, the male loses much of his bright breeding colour and becomes more olive yellow or olive green. This seasonal change can make the same bird look quite different depending on when you see it.
Goldfinches are also known for their flight pattern. They typically don’t fly in a straight line but rise and dip through the air. They often travel in flocks and can be especially active around reliable food sources.
Their songs are another good way to identify them. Male American Goldfinches sing during the breeding season, while females do not sing. Their songs are musical and made up of many different notes and phrases. During courtship , a male may fly in wide circles while singing before gliding back down. Their calls are different from their songs and are used to communicate things such as danger, feeding and staying in contact with the flock.
House Finch
House Finches are common backyard visitors and are often seen around feeders in groups. Males have a rich reddish colour around the head and chest while females and young birds are more brown and streaked. Their colouring can vary, so looking at the overall body shape and pattern can help when comparing them with other finches. If you have several feeders available, you may notice them feeding alongside other finch species rather than keeping completely to themselves.
Purple Finch
Purple Finches can be confusing at first because the males are not actually purple. Their colouring is more of a rich raspberry red, particularly around the head and upper body. Females are more brown and heavily streaked, making them look quite different from the males. They can appear at backyard feeders with other finches, especially during the non-breeding season. Your best chance of seeing several finch species together is often when birds are moving around in search of reliable food.
Pine Siskin
Pine Siskins are small finches with a more understated appearance than the bright American Goldfinch. They are often recognized by their streaked colouring and slender shape. One of the most interesting things about Pine Siskins is how closely they can be tied to food availability. During winters when natural seed supplies are low, large numbers of finches may move out of northern areas in search of food. This means Pine Siskins may be common in your yard during one winter and much less noticeable the next.
Pine Siskins are also surprisingly agile feeders. Along with American Goldfinches and Common Redpolls, they can hang upside down while feeding. Their strong feet allow them to cling to seed heads and feeders while reaching seeds that other birds may have difficulty getting to.
Red Crossbill
The Red Crossbill is one of the easiest finches to recognize once you notice its unusual bill. The tips of its upper and lower bills cross over each other, creating the scissor-like shape that gives crossbills their name. This specialized bill helps the bird remove seeds from cones.
The Red Crossbill is closely connected to coniferous trees and the availability of their seeds. Like other finches, its movements can change depending on where food is available. This is one reason you may see certain finch species in large numbers one year and hardly notice them the next.
Pine Grosbeak
Pine Grosbeaks are another finch that can appear unpredictably depending on food supplies. They are one of the species known to move out of Alaska and Canada during winters when seed supplies are low. In some years they may be common in an area, while in other years they can be scarce. Like other finches, Pine Grosbeaks can also join mixed flocks during winter.
A Few Finch Facts Worth Knowing
- American Goldfinches can hang upside down while feeding
- Male goldfinches get their bright colour from pigments in their food
- Purple Finch males are actually more raspberry red than purple
- Red Crossbills have crossed bill tips that help them remove seeds from cones
- American Goldfinches can change colour noticeably between summer and winter
- Finches can gather in flocks ranging from a few birds to hundreds
Flocks, Migration and Nesting
Perhaps one of the most interesting things about finches is that their movements do not always follow a simple seasonal pattern. American Goldfinches in particular are not predictable migrants. Instead, they move around in response to food supplies, weather and local conditions. Some flocks may travel only far enough to find a reliable source of food, while others can travel much farther. For instance, goldfinches from Ontario have even been found more than 1,000 miles away in Louisiana.
Finches are also very social birds. During the breeding season, flocks may contain fewer than 10 birds, while non-breeding flocks can grow to several dozen or even hundreds. Winter flocks can also become mixed groups, bringing together species such as American Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Purple Finches and Common Redpolls.
American Goldfinches have an unusual nesting schedule compared with many other birds. They usually begin nesting in July or August and raise one or two broods during the season. The female builds the cup-shaped nest herself, usually placing it in a fork of twigs or among branches of a small tree or shrub. She uses plant fibres and materials such as spiderwebs to hold the nest together before lining it with soft plant down.
A typical clutch contains three to seven eggs, with four to six being common. The female incubates the eggs for about 10 to 12 days. After hatching, the young remain in the nest until they are ready to leave at around 11 to 15 days old. Once they fledge, the young birds follow their parents and continue begging for food while the adults feed them nearby.