What makes a finch, a finch? There are several types of finches across North America. Each species has distinct biological traits that classify it as a finch.
In this guide, we’ll cover the taxonomical family finches belong to and what their unique traits are. From there, we’ll dive into the finch species of North America. By the end of this guide, you’ll have a deeper understanding of finches and where to find them.
Common Traits of Finches
Finches are beautiful small to medium-sized birds in the Fringillidae family. These are called ‘true finches’. There are 210 true finches globally, and 17 are native to North America.
True finches are distinguished by their genetics. While many finches share similar traits, such as size, beak, diet, and body shape, they can also vary. As such, they are categorized by their genetics rather than by their outward appearance.
Even so, here are the generally common traits of true finches:
- Conical beaks for breaking open seeds
- Compact body with a short neck and relatively large head
- Notched or forked tails
- Diet consisting mostly of seeds and fruits
- Forages by clinging and climbing on branches in trees and shrubs or even small plants like thistles (rather than on the ground)
- Short legs and strong feet for gripping
- Monogamous breeding pairs
- Usually red, yellow, tan, or pink plumage
The 17 Types of Finches in North America
Common Types of Finches
1. House Finch
Of all the types of finches, the House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) is the most adapted to urban areas. Their range extends across most of the United States (including Hawaii) and Mexico.
The male House Finch has a distinct, rosy-hued head, breast, and back. The rest of his body is pale brown with sparrow-like streaks. The female House Finch is brown-grey with sparrow-like streaks. They have characteristic conical beaks. This beak shape is perfectly suited for cracking and opening seeds, their primary food source.
House Finches are common in urban areas, farms, city parks, and forest edges. They are easy to attract to a bird feeder and can arrive in flocks of up to 50 or more birds!
2. American Goldfinch
The American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) is easy to spot with its striking yellow and black plumage. In the spring, the male is bright yellow with a black forehead and black, white-striped wings.
The female is similar to the male during the breeding season, but her plumage isn’t as bright. She also lacks the glossy black forehead patch. In winter, male and female American Goldfinches are dull yellow or brown.
Widespread and abundant, the American Goldfinch is found across the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. They will readily come to bird feeders.
3. Lesser Goldfinch
Despite their name, Lesser Goldfinches (Spinus psaltria) aren’t less beautiful or interesting than other types of finches. The name ‘lesser’ might have to do with them being the smallest finch in North America.
Lesser Goldfinches look similar to American Goldfinches. The key difference is that Lesser Goldfinches have more black on their head and back than American Goldfinches.
Lesser goldfinches are year-round residents of the west coast from Oregon to California. They can travel inland as far as Colorado and Arizona for breeding. Found throughout Mexico, their range extends down to parts of South America.
4. Pine Siskin
The Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) has the narrowest beak of all the types of finches in North America. It resembles a sparrow more than a finch with its dark brown streaks and tan plumage. The notched tail and subtle yellow wing markings give it away as an inconspicuous goldfinch.
The Pine Siskin is nomadic and sporadic in its range and habitat preferences. Most often, you’ll find them in large flocks feeding at the tops of coniferous trees. They’ll also flock to thistle and sunflower fields as well as bird feeders.
Pine siskins prefer mountainous areas and mixed conifer forests year-round. In the winter, they’ll flock to semi-open areas across the United States and southern Canada in search of food.
5. Common Redpoll
The Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea) is a well-known resident of Alaska and northern Canada. They are most often seen in winter when they flock to bird feeders and fields in search of seeds. Sometimes, they’ll migrate as far south as the central United States during winter in search of food.
Common Redpolls are small, sparrow-like birds with a distinct red spot on their forehead. The males have a pinkish-red blush on their breast. Like most types of finches, Common Redpolls forage mostly for seeds.
Other Finches in North America
1. Purple Finch
Closely resembles the House Finch, but is rarer, and overall populations are decreasing.
The Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) prefers mixed conifer forests of the eastern United States and northern Canada. Interestingly, they also inhabit the Pacific Northwest coast year-round.
2. Cassin’s Finch
Preferring the mountains of the western United States and Canada, the Cassin’s Finch (Haemorhous cassinii) dwells in evergreen and aspen forests. There, you’ll find small flocks high in the trees, eating pine and aspen seeds. Because of their mountainous range, they are less known than other types of finches.
Cassin’s Finch closely resembles the House and Purple Finch.
3. Lawrence’s Goldfinch
Because of their small and restricted range, the Lawrence Goldfinch (Spinus lawrencei) is less known than other goldfinches.
These beautiful finches live in remote, arid areas in California, southern Arizona, and northwestern Mexico. They prefer bushy, open woodland and chaparral ecosystems.
Male Lawrence’s Goldfinches have a grey body with a black face and a bright yellow belly patch. Both the male and female have bright yellow streaks in their wings. The female Lawrence’s Goldfinch has a greyish-brown body and head and faint yellow hues on her belly.
4. Gray-Crowned Rosy Finch
Gray-Crowned Rosy Finches (Leucosticte tephrocotis) vary in habit. They live from the shoreline of Alaska and Canada to the high mountain slopes, deserts, and arctic tundra of western North America. In winter, these small finches travel as far south as northern Arizona but mostly stay in high elevations.
The Gray-Crowned Rosy Finch has a gray head with a black forehead and chin, a brown chest and back, and pink on its underbelly and wings.
5. Black Rosy Finch
Resembles the Gray-Crowned Rosy Finch but with more black than brown on their chest, back, and underbelly.
The Black Rosy Finch (Leucosticte atrata) prefers high elevations in the Great Basin region, from northeastern Nevada to southwestern Montana. These finches mostly live above treeline but will travel to the lowlands to search for food in the winter.
6. Brown-Capped Rosy Finch
A dweller of the Colorado Rockies, the Brown-Capped Rosy Finch (Leucosticte australis) has a limited range. It prefers high elevations and remote mountain ranges from Wyoming to New Mexico. In the winter, these finches flock to mountain towns to visit bird feeders.
Resembles the Black and Gray-Crowned Rosy Finches but has brown on the head instead of black or grey.
7. Hoary Redpoll
The Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni) is a finch of North America’s arctic tundra. They will flock with Common Redpolls in the winter but rarely migrate as far south. Hoary Redpoll finches are difficult to distinguish from Common Redpolls.
These finches are more scarce than Common Redpolls and are adapted to even harsher arctic climates.
8. Red Crossbill
Crossbills have the most unique bill shape of all the types of finches in North America. Their bills overlap with the top extending out opposite from the bottom. This distinct bill allows crossbills to pry open coniferous cone scales. With the scales held open with their beak, they seek out the seed within using their long tongue.
The Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) prefers mixed conifer forests in the Western United States and Canada up to Alaska. They are medium-sized finches with beautiful russet-orange plumage.
9. Cassia Crossbill
Found only in Cassia County, Idaho, the Cassia Crossbill (Loxia sinesciuris) was previously considered a Red Crossbill. It was recognized as its own species in 2017. As such, it closely resembles the Red Crossbill but has a larger bill.
10. White-Winged Crossbill
The White-Winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera) is a nomadic resident of boreal forests and tundra of Canada and Alaska.
These finches vary in color and can closely resemble Red Crossbills. White-Winged Crossbills are distinguished from other crossbill species by their broad white bars on black wings.
11. Evening Grosbeak
The Evening Grosbeak (Coccothraustes vespertinus) is a beautiful, plump yellow and black finch. It is one of the largest types of finches in North America. These finches are more common throughout Canada but are also found in parts of the Northern United States.
Evening Grosbeaks dwell in various habitats, including fields, meadows, woodlands, high elevations, scrub lands, and urban areas. They will flock to bird feeders in the winter in search of sunflower seeds.
12. Pine Grosbeak
The largest finch in North America, the Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) can reach 10 inches in length. These finches have beautiful pink-red plumage and large, blunt beaks perfect for crushing seeds.
This may be the most elusive of all the types of finches in North America. Pine Grosbeaks are an uncommon resident of fir and spruce forests throughout Canada and the United States.
