Finches are a group of relatively small passerine birds that travel in flocks. Many finch species visit bird feeders and are very familiar to people while others are a bit more rare to see.

In Connecticut, there are 10 finch species that show up on an annual basis that are certainly worth getting to know in order to maximize your experience with them at your bird feeder or out in the field.

American Goldfinch

Identification

During the breeding months, American Goldfinches are extremely colorful with males having bright yellow covering most of their bodies, a black cap on their head, black wings, and a black partially forked tail. In nonbreeding plumage, these birds are more dull with brownish bodies, a yellowish head, and black wings with white wing bars. Females in breeding plumage are still bright yellow but not to the same degree as the males.  Females also have less black on the top of their head. 

Range

American Goldfinshes can be found throughout most of the United States with the species following a typical migratior path of traveling south in winter and north into Canada to breed in summer. They are also found year round in many of the Midwestern, Northeastern, and Northwestern states.

Diet and Foraging Habits

American Goldfinches have a diet consisting of seeds. Some of their preferred seeds are sunflower and nyjer. American Goldfinches typically feed in flocks (with some flocks becoming quite large) and will also feed alongside other finch species such as Common Redpolls, and Pine Siskins.

Where to Find This Bird

In their native range, American Goldfinches are plentiful and easy to find. Search for this species in fields with tall weeds and grass, both deciduous and coniferous forests, parks, and of course backyards. Finch feeders with nyjer, thistle, or sunflower seeds are great attractants for this species.

Common Redpoll

Identification

The Common Redpoll is a compact finch species with a small, stubby, pointed yellow bill. They have a brown back streaked with cream, black above and below their bill, and a red patch on their head. Males have a rosy wash on their chest and flanks along with some streaking on their sides. Females and immature birds do not have noticeable red wash but do have dark streaking on their underside and flanks.

Range

Common Redpolls breed in the extreme Northern parts of Canada and Alaska as well as Southern Greenland. In winter, they migrate south into Southern Canada and the Northern United States. This species is irruptive and on years when food is scarce in the North, they expand farther into the United States and in greater numbers. The amount of Redpolls in the United States as well as the locations they spread to vary depending on the year.

Diet and Foraging Habits

Common Redpolls eat small seeds from trees such as birches, alders, and conifers. They will also eat berries and seeds from wildflowers. Common Redpolls are very acrobatic feeders, often foraging in large groups and hanging upside down as they pry seeds out of cones.

Where to Find This Bird

Common Redpolls follow the food and will show up wherever there are plentiful seeds to eat. When they are around, their buzzy calls can be heard in flight, and keeping an eye out for flocks of them in and around conifer trees will typically yield results. During irruption years, swarms of these birds will descend on bird feeders creating quite the spectacle. Thistle, nyjer, and sunflower seeds are all common bird feeder fill that will attract Common Redpolls.

Evening Grosbeak

Identification

Evening Grosbeaks are an extremely bright looking species. Males have electric yellow undersides, backs, and markings on their head just above the eye. They have black wings, a black tail, clean white wing patches, and an extremely thick bill. Females and immature birds are mostly gray with a yellow nape, black wings, and a black tail with white patches on them.

Range

The Evening Grosbeak’s range is somewhat misleading. They are year round residents of Southern Canada and some parts of the Western United States. Most maps show their wintering range covering most of Michigan, Wisconsin, and New England, but through my experience, most winters Evening Grosbeaks only inhabit the most northern parts of these areas. Evening Grosbeaks do have years in which they fly farther South during winter but in recent years they have not irrupted in the same way that records from the past show. Additionally, the range of this species seems to be receding farther north into Canada each year.

Diet and Foraging Habits

Evening Grosbeaks have different diets depending on the time of year. During summer, they feed primarily on insects and other invertebrates, most notably spruce budworm larva. Other times of the year, Evening Grosbeaks eat various types of seeds including seeds from fruits.

Where to Find This Bird

Evening Grosbeaks can be found in conifer forests. They also can be found near bird feeders in their native range.

In Wisconsin, one of the most reliable places to find Evening Grosbeaks are the bird feeders in the small northern town of Alvin. They can also be found in other small towns and homes in the Northern part of the state.

Hoary Redpoll

Identification

The Hoary Redpoll is a small frosty looking finch species with a brownish gray back, a tiny yellow bill, a white underside with very faint streaking, and a a bright red patch of color on their head. Males have a faint red wash on their chest. This species is quite similar looking to the Common Redpoll and is expected to be lumped together with them in the near future.

If you’d like to know more about telling the Hoary and the Common Redpoll apart, click here to read about their difference or watch the video below.

Range

Hoary Redpolls live extremely far north in North America, Europe and Eastern Asia. They breed in the Arctic tundra of Greenland, Russia, and Northern Canada. They do move south in the winter but don’t move too far into the United States most years with the exception of irruption years. Some of the Great Lakes sets get these birds annually.

Diet and Foraging Habits

Hoary Redpolls feed on small seeds from trees, grasses, and weeds. They also consume insects and buds. Like the Common Redpoll, Hoary Redpolls are very acrobatic while foraging, often hanging upside-down and voraciously picking seeds out of cones.

Where to Find This Bird

Hoary Redpolls can be found in tundra habitat in their breeding range. In their nonbreeding range, look for this specie mixed in with flocks of Common Redpolls in areas with plentiful food such as fields, conifer forests, and even backyard bird feeders.

House Finch

Identification

Male House Finches have brown backs and wings with a bright red head, throat, and chest. They have streaking on their sides and and a brown stripe on their face. Female House Finches look the same as the males but without the bright red.

House Finches look very similar to Purple Finches. For tips on differentiating between the two, click here to read about it or watch the video below.

Range

House Finches have a very interesting range. They were originally native to the Western half of the United States and Mexico, but were brought over to the Eastern half of the US and now inhabit both the East and the West, but not parts of the Central US. House Finches are generally nonmigratory and stick to the same areas year round.

Diet and Foraging Habits

House Finches eat seeds and other plant materials such as buds and fruits. They are common around urban backyard bird feeders where they will consume millet and sunflower seeds among other things.

Where to Find This Bird

House Finches are accustomed to spending time near humans, often being found in parks and backyards with bird feeders. This species can also be found in many different natural habitats as well including but not limited to oak and conifer forests.

Pine Grosbeak (Rare)

Identification

Male Pine Grosbeaks are a rosy reddish pink color with dark gray wings, two white wing bars, and a gray under tail. Females and immature males are mostly gray with yellow to orange coloration on the head, back, rump, and sometimes the chest. It’s worth noting that Pine Grosbeaks vary slightly in color based on region.

Range

Pine Grosbeaks live year round in the northern parts of Europe, Asia, and North America. In North America, this species breeds in the forests of Canada along with some parts of the continental United States and Alaska. In winter, Pine Grosbeaks move south into states in the Midwest and Northeast.

Diet and Foraging Habits

Pine Grosbeaks primarily feed on fruits and seeds, but will also eat insects and other invertebrates when available.

Where to Find This Bird

To find Pine Grosbeaks, one must go to where their food source is. They show up at bird feeders as well as places with fruit trees. In winter, remaining crabapples and other ornamental trees are big draws for this species. Some places that often plant these types of trees are cemeteries and school campuses.

Pine Siskin

Identification

Pine Siskins are an overall brownish tan color with cream colored wing bars and a lighter colored underside. They have heavy streaking on the sides and a lighter colored eye brow stripe. Pine Siskins ihave bright yellow edging on their wing and tail feathers.

Range

Pine Siskins have an extremely expansive range across the US and Canada. They live year round in Southern Canada, the Northern United States, and parts of the Western United States and Mexico. In summer, the breeding range of Pine Siskins extends up into Canada and Southwestern Alaska. In winter, Pine Siskins southern movements vary wildly from year to year with the species sometimes making it well into Mexico and the Southeastern US.

Diet and Foraging Habits

Pine Siskins eat a wide variety of food items including insects, buds, and seeds. The majority of their diet during the colder months is seeds ranging from seeds of deciduous trees to those of conifers. As their name would suggest, they are particularly fond of the seeds of pine trees. Pine Siskins are often found feeding in flocks flying from tree to tree and making their distinctive, buzzy call.

Where to Find This Bird

Pine Siskins live in a variety of habitats including deciduous and coniferous woods, parks, and backyards. If it’s the right time of year for them, exploring pine and other conifer forests will often times lead to an encounter. Another great place to find these lively birds is at home bird feeders where they will eat alongside other finch species such as American Goldfinches and House Finches.

Purple Finch

Identification

Male Purple Finches are stunning birds with a rosy pink wine-stained color on their back, head, and chest. They have dark brown wings and a brown colored tail. Male Purple Finches also have lighter and darker variations of pink on their face giving them the look of having an eye stripe. Females completely lack the rosy pink color of the males and have brown wings with cream colored undersides and a noticeable cream colored eye brow stripe. They also have streaking on their chest and sides.

Sometime Purple Finches can be hard to tell apart from House Finches. To find out how to differentiate between the two, click here to read our article about it or check out the video below.

Range

Purple Finches live year round in the Northeastern states, Northern Great Lakes states, and West Coast states of the US as well as Southeastern Canada. Their summer range expands farther north into Canada and they move south in the winter (mostly in the Eastern United States).

Diet and Foraging Habits

Purple Finches eat many different types of seeds and berries. They will also eat soft buds from plants and feed on nectar from flowers.

Where to Find This Bird

Purple Finches can be found in forested areas with conifer forests seeming to be the preferred habitat. In winter, look for these birds near feeding stations where the males will stand out.

Red Crossbill

Identification

Male Red Crossbills are orangish red with brownish black wings and a brownish black tail. They have a marking that goes over their eye and is not terribly noticable unless seen at close range. Females are yellowish in color with brownish gray wings. Red Crossbills get their name for their interesting bill structure. The mandibles are crossed, making it easy for this species to open up pine cones to extract seeds.

Range

The range of Red Crossbills is complicated. They are extremely nomadic and will simply travel to where the food is. In general, this species is a year round resident of Western and Southern Canada, the Western and Northern forests of the United States, and parts of Mexico. During winter, they move into the the rest of the United States in search of fruitful cone crops. In any given year they may stay relatively far north or make it as far south as Texas and Mexico.

Diet and Foraging Habits

Red Crossbills are specialized to feed on conifer cones and do so by placing their crossed mandibles in-between the scales of the cones. They then open up the cone and eat the seed out of it. These birds typically feed in flocks and will descend on a tree together, feasting in what looks and sounds like a frenzy.

Where to Find This Bird

Red Crossbills can certainly be a tough species to get a read on. The best time to find them is to during an irruption year when many of them flood into the continental US. During these times, keep an eye out for conifer trees with healthy cone crops. Another good way to find this species is by listening for their “jip jip” flight call.

It’s worth noting that Red Crossbills have several different “types.” Each of these types has a slightly different call and habitat preference. It’s possible that at some point these birds could be split into multiple species

White-winged Crossbill (Rare)

Identification

Male White-winged Crossbills are bright red with black wings, white wing bars, a black tail, a light colored under tail, and dark markings on their cheeks. Females are yellowish with darker wings, streaking on the underside, and dark cheek marks. Both males and females have the same crossed mandibles, differentiating them from most other finch species.

Range

White-winged Crossbills are year round residents of Canada, parts of Alaska, and parts of the Western and Midwestern United States. In winter, they move south into the continental United States. How far south they go depends on how much food is available in their typical range.

Diet and Foraging Habits

White-winged Crossbills feed on the seeds of conifer trees, particularly those of tamaracks and spruces. They will also eat spiders, insects, and buds. White-winged Crossbills usually feed in flocks, arriving at conifer trees and quickly getting to work pulling out seeds with their specialized mandibles.

Where to Find This Bird

White-winged Crossbills can be found in stands of conifers with good cone crops. They will move around frequently, often chattering as they fly in a group. For people in the continental United States, fall and winter are the best times to see White-winged Crossbills.

Summary

Finches are energetic and exciting birds to be able to find or have around your yard. Knowing more about the species that are expected in your area can be instrumental in finding and identifying them, especially since they have such irregular migratory patterns. Hopefully, this article has helped to answer some questions about the finches of Connecticut.

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