Finches
Finches are among the most popular birds in the United States for outdoor pet enthusiasts! We all know that they are colorful and friendly, but did you know...
Goldfinches
• Molt their feathers twice a year - the male becomes brown in the winter!
• Make nests that are so well built that they can even hold water!
• Call with a per-chick-o-ree and in flight, a see-me, see-me. The song is a melody of trills and sweet notes.
House Finches
• Spread across the United States, partially due to the help of humans who kept them as caged birds (known as "Hollywood Finches").
• Call with a chirp. The song is a repeated warble ending with a harsh chee-ur.
• Will even visit a sugar water feeder on occasion!
Purple Finches
• Are the "country cousins" to the House Finch - they spend most of their time in the woodlands.
• Live in nomadic flocks that descend on a backyard, then move on.
• Calls with a sharp, metallic tick, and in flight a musical chur-lee. Their song resembles that of a house finch, but lacks the harsh final notes.