Finches

Join me in the landscape to watch the wildlife in our urban yard. Occasionally we are visited by finches that stop by for a quick drink and a bath at the water dishes. Initially I only noticed the males, with their vibrant red or yellow coloring. Later, I realized that some of the little brown birds were probably the females (or a variety of brown finches).

I’m still learning, but with the help of the Merlin Bird ID  app, from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, I think I’ve identified these finch types in our backyard, here in the San Francisco Bay Area:

• House Finches (Haemorhous mexicanus) - males are red, females are brown
• Lesser Goldfinches (Spinus psaltria) - males are yellow, females are brown (sometimes with a hint of yellow)

A pair of red male finches at the water dish

The range for House Finches includes the Eastern and Western United States, and into Mexico. The range for Lesser Goldfinches includes the Western United States coast, Baja, Mexico, and areas in Central and South America. We don't see them often, so they migrate from place to place.

A yellow Lesser Goldfinch takes a rest

Learn More:

• Finches - learn about all the varieties of finches that populate the world.
• House Finches - the males exhibit shades of red.
• Lesser Goldfinches - the males are decorated in yellow.