How to Identify a Finch Bird

You are likely to see finches, which are small, brightly colored wild birds, at almost any backyard bird feeder. To identify what type of finch you are seeing, look at color and habitat (what types of plants or trees live in your yard and what part of the country you live in.) The most common finches in North America are the purple finch, the American goldfinch and the house finch.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Binoculars
• Bird feeder
• Wild bird reference book (optional)

1. Look for identifying colors. The purple finch has raspberry or red wine feathers on his head, wings, and back. The American goldfinch is bright yellow with black wings. The house finch is often mistaken for the purple finch but its coloring is more red to red-orange than the purple finch.

2. Pay attention to your landscaping. A desert-like landscape will attract purple finches. American goldfinches are the most common. They like the typical American backyard as well as meadows, orchards and farmland -- as do house finches.

3. Think about where you live. The purple finch is most often found in the American southwest -- New Mexico, Arizona and West Texas. American goldfinches are common in every state except Alaska and Hawaii. House finches tend to favor habitats east of the Mississippi River.

Tips & Warnings

• Most finches are only about 5 1/2 to 6 inches long from beak to the end of the tail feathers. The house finch was sold as the "Hollywood Finch" until the mid-1930s, but is now mostly wild.

References

• more information on wild bird identification
• more about house finches