Nine species of finches are recognized as regularly occurring in New York, with two additional species being recognized as accidental. With photographs, song recordings, and information on when and where to see them, this guide will help you locate them.
- American Goldfinch, House Finch, and Purple Finch are the three finches found in New York throughout the year.
- Pine Siskin, Common Redpoll, Evening Grosbeak, Red Crossbill, White-winged Crossbill, and Pine Grosbeak are some of the finches found in New York throughout the winter.
- Hoary Redpoll, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch are two common species of accidental finches in New York.
Finches are tiny to medium-sized songbirds with conical beaks that are ideal for seed and nut cracking. They have notched tails, compact bodies, and relatively pointed wings.
Their bright yellow and red colors, mostly in males, make them easy to spot despite their size. Females are more green and brown in color than males, and they blend into their surroundings.
Except for the polar regions, there are 240 species of True Finches in the Fringillidae family that have been discovered around the world. True Finches are birds that aren’t technically finches, since they may be called finches by other species. Redpolls, siskins, and certain grosbeaks are also members of the finch family.
Finches have powerful bills that are ideal for opening seeds, and they adore eating them. Insects, on the other hand, are usually fed to their young because they can’t crack seeds open on their own.
Finches chirp away in their groups, and you may hear them before you see them. Some of them don’t necessarily have a beautiful melody, but they do, so you should listen to them.
Nests made out of twigs and other woven materials, lined with softer material, are simple constructions in trees and shrubs.
A “charm” is a collection of Finches. Perhaps it’s because of their cheerful colors and melodious voice that many finches are kept in cages.
Habitat degradation, window collisions, pesticide usage, and cats are all contributing to the demise of finches. You can help by keeping cats indoors, not using pesticides, and providing natural habitats, which are now on Red Lists.
Tube feeders filled with sunflower seeds, a water source that does not freeze, and a nest site for Finches are all things you can do to attract them to your yard. For New York, you may also utilize these free bird identification cards to help identify a variety of the birds that visit your yard.
According to avibase, this guide will help you recognize the varieties of finches seen in New York. According to birdwatchers’ checklists submitted to ebird, the birds on this list are arranged in order of their frequency of appearance, from most often seen to least frequently seen.
11 Species of Finches in New York:
1. American Goldfinch
All year, New York has seen American Goldfinches, but from May to September, their numbers rise dramatically. Summer checklists for the state show that they are found in 44% of them, while winter checklists show that they are found in 24%.
The popular bird is the American Goldfinch. In the spring, the males have a vivid yellow and black coloration. In the winter, both sexes are browner than females.
- Spinus tristis
- Length: 4.3-5.1 in (11-13 cm)
- Weight: 0.4-0.7 oz (11-20 g)
- Wingspan: 7.5-8.7 in (19-22 cm)
Most of North America is home to American Goldfinches, who are permanent residents. Breeding birds, on the other hand, migrate to the southern United States for winter in Canada and the Midwest.
Foraging for sunflower, thistle, and aster plants in weedy fields and along overgrown areas, you may find American Goldfinch. Suburbs, parks, and yards are also home to them.
American Goldfinch Song:
Saplings or shrubs are frequently used to build American Goldfinch nests. The female lays four to six eggs on grass, bark strips, and feathers. The eggs take ten to twelve days to hatch, and the male feeds the female throughout that time.
Attract American Goldfinches Thistles and milkweed, which you may grow in your garden, They’ll eat sunflower seed and nyjer seed at most bird feeders.
Fun Fact: The seed-based diet that the parents feed them is unsuitable for them, and they eventually die, making Brown-headed Cowbirds well-known for laying eggs in an American Goldfinch nest.
2. House Finch
New York has a resident species, House Finches, that were introduced. They do not migrate and are found in 17% of state bird watcher checklists throughout the summer and winter.
The rest of the House Finch males’ bodies are brown-streaked, with a red head and breast. Brown streaks run through the females’ bodies.
- Haemorhous mexicanus
- Length: 5.1-5.5 in (13-14 cm)
- Weight: 0.6-0.9 oz (16-27 g)
- Wingspan: 7.9-9.8 in (20-25 cm)
House Finches were only brought to eastern US states in the early 2000s, and they have done quite well, even displacing the Purple Finch.
House Finches may be seen in large numbers in parks, farmland, forest fringes, and at birdfeeders. Seeds, fruit, and buds are all sources of food for them.
House Finch Song:
House Finches’ nests may be discovered in thickets, shrubs, natural hollows, and even buildings. Grass, leaves, sticks, and feathers are used by the female to construct them. At a time, two to six eggs may be present, taking up to two weeks to hatch.
Attract House Finches Black oil sunflower seeds, millet, and nyjer seeds are used in tube feeders or platform feeders to provide backyard feeders with food.
Fun Fact: Caged birds were imported to Long Island to house finches. They flourished and spread across the eastern United States when they were released into the wild.
3. Purple Finch
During the breeding season, from May to July, and again in October and November, Purple Finches can be found throughout New York year-round.
Males of the Purple Finches have a deeper belly and crimson-purple heads and breasts with more brown on the back and wings. Brown streaks cover the whole body of females. They’re crimson, and particularly at the top of their back, they resemble House Finches.
- Haemorhous purpureus
- Length: 4.7-6.3 in (12-16 cm)
- Weight: 0.6-1.1 oz (18-32 g)
- Wingspan: 8.7-10.2 in (22-26 cm)
Purple Finches overwinter in eastern states but may be found year-round in the north-east and Pacific coast, where they breed in Canada.
Purple Finch eats seeds, buds, nectar, and berries in both evergreen and deciduous woodland.
Purple Finch Song:
Purple Finches build nests high in the branches of trees. Twigs, barks, weeds, and moss are used to make them. The female usually incubates three to five eggs for thirteen days.
Attract Purple Finches Black oil sunflower seeds can be found in your backyards.
Fun Fact:New Hampshire’s state bird is the Purple Finches.
4. Pine Siskin
During the winter months, from October to May, Pine Siskins are most often seen in New York, accounting for 2% of all winter checklists. Yet, a few people remain in the state all year in the north.
The wing and tail of Pine Siskins are yellow, with brown finches. With a short pointed beak, they have a forked tail and pointed wings.
- Spinus Pinus
- Length: 4.3-5.5 in (11-14 cm)
- Weight: 0.4-0.6 oz (12-18 g)
- Wingspan: 7.1-8.7 in (18-22 cm)
The pine woods in the western United States and along the Canadian Border are home to Pine Siskins all year. Before heading south for winter, some breed in Canada.
They can be found across much of North America, depending on pine cone crops. Pine Siskins eat primarily pine seeds, but young buds and seeds from grasses and weeds are also included in their diet.
Pine Siskin Song:
Pine Siskins build nests that are 10 to 50 feet tall and away from the tree trunk. They are frequently home to three to five eggs and are constructed with twigs, barks, and moss. The eggs take around thirteen days to hatch.
Attract Pine Siskins Black oil sunflower seeds and suet are available to buy in your backyards, along with thistle and nyjer feeders.
Fun Fact: The Pine Siskin’s chirp inspired the name “Siskin.” That’s essentially a “pine chirper,” as the name implies.
5. Common Redpoll
Common Redpolls are seen in New York in winter from October to May and occur in 2% of checklists at this time.
Little Redpolls have red foreheads and are brown and white streaked over the remainder of their bodies. Males have pink breasts, whereas ladies do not. Finch bills and a short, notched tail are small features.
- Acanthis flammea
- Length: 4.7-5.5 in (12-14 cm)
- Weight: 0.4-0.7 oz (11-20 g)
- Wingspan: 7.5-8.7 in (19-22 cm)
In Canada, Common Redpolls breed in the artic and spend the winter around the rest of Canada, as well as northern US states.
They’ll tunnel into the snow during the winter to keep warm at night. Every day, they may consume up to 42% of their body weight, and in a elastic park of their esophagus, they may store up to 2 grams of seeds.
Common Redpolls may be seen feeding on catkins in trees or eating weedy pastures, but they will also eat little seed like nyjer seeds and thistle at feeders.
Common Redpoll Song:
Common Redpoll nests are usually found in rock niches or thick, low bushes. Moss, feathers, plant material, and animal hair are often used to keep the nests and eggs warm. The female incubates four to seven eggs for around eleven days. The young remain in the nest for another two weeks after hatching, and their mothers take care of them.
Attract Common Redpolls Feeding them nyjer seeds and shelled sunflower seeds will encourage them to eat in your yard.
Fun Fact: Redpolls may live in temperatures as low as -65 degrees Fahrenheit without freezing. To stay warm, they added around 30% more feathers.
6. Evening Grosbeak
In New York, Evening Grosbeaks are a threatened species, but during the winter months of November through May, they may be seen.
Evening Grosbeaks have huge beaks and a bright yellow and black pattern that makes them stand out. The stripes on adult males’ eyes are vivid yellow, giving them the appearance of being ferocious. Their chests and bellies are yellow, and their heads are black with gray necks. Their wings are likewise covered in white.
Greenish bills, mostly gray bodies, black and white wings, and a yellow tint to the neck distinguish females and immature males.
- Hesperiphona vespertina
- Length: 16 to 22 cm (6.3 to 8.7 in)
- Weight: 38.7 to 86.1 g (1.37 to 3.04 oz)
- Wingspan: 30 to 36 cm (12 to 14 in)
In southern Canada and up the west coast to northern California, Evening Grosbeaks stay all year. Cone crops, on the other hand, will migrate to most US states when they are scarce.
Evening Grosbeaks may be seen in wooded and mountainous areas. They’re often drawn to bird feeders in backyards during the winter, since they provide an easy food supply.
Evening Grosbeak Song:
Evening Grosbeak nests may be discovered up to 100 feet above the ground in pine trees. Twigs, rootlets, grass, moss, and pine needles are used to construct the nests loosely. The female typically lays five eggs and incubates them for two weeks before they hatch.
Attract Evening Grosbeaks In the winter, sunflower seeds, berries, and maple buds are brought to your yard for a treat.
Fun Fact: Evening Grosbeaks stay around to eat whatever is left behind because their bills are so strong that they can crush seeds that other smaller birds cannot open.
7. Red Crossbill
Red Crossbills are mostly spotted in New York during winter, from November to March.
Males of the Red Crossbill are crimson birds with blacker wings and tails. Yellow and brown females may be found. When closed, their beaks have an unusual twisted shape. They have a notch at the end of their tails. Browner in color than the adults.
- Loxia curvirostra
- Length: 5.5-6.5 in (14-17 cm)
- Weight: 1.4 oz (40 g)
- Wingspan: 10-10.75 in (25-27 cm)
If cone crops are insufficient, Red Crossbills may winter in eastern states if they reside year-round in northern and western.
In the mornings, you may see Red Crossbills eating grit in coniferous woodlands, but you may also see them along roadsides. They forage from tree to tree, even breaking open unopened cones with their strong beaks, and feed on conifer seeds.
Red Crossbill Song:
At the end of a pine tree, nests of Red Crossbills may be found. They’re lined with moss and plants and are shallow saucers made of bark, grass, and roots. It takes between eighteen and twenty-eight days for the female to lay three to four eggs.
Attract Red Crossbills to your backyards with Safflower, Apple Slices, Suet, Millet, Peanut Kernels, and fruits.
Fun Fact: The beaks of red crossbills vary in shape, and they produce distinct flight calls. Crossbill flockers recognize each other’s flight calls and gather together in groups of the same sort.
8. White-winged Crossbill
White-winged Crossbills are only found in New York during the migration seasons of November and February, but they spend the winter there.
Crossbills with heavy crossed beaks are called White-winged Crossbills. Males have two white wingbars and are red birds with black wings and tails. Females have two white wing bars and are yellow and brown.
- Loxia leucoptera
- Length: 5.9-6.7 in (15-17 cm)
- Weight: 0.8-0.9 oz (24-26 g)
- Wingspan: 10.2-11.0 in (26-28 cm)
When cone crops are scarce farther north, White-winged Crossbills may be found in woodlands in Canada, Alaska, and occasionally the northern United States.
In spruce woodlands, you may see White-winged crossbills eating seeds.
White-winged Crossbill Song:
White-winged Crossbills nest in horizontal tree branches, and their nests are visible. Twigs, bark, grass, moss, and lichens are used to make them. A nest may have up to five eggs, with the mother sitting on them for two weeks before they hatch.
Fun Fact: These birds are unusual in that they may breed at any time of year if there is sufficient food. They may be heard in huge numbers in flocks.
9. Pine Grosbeak
In New York, Pine Grosbeaks are rare, however there have been a few recorded sightings from November to April.
Males of Pine Grosbeaks are crimson with gray wings and tail, as well as two white wingbars. The heads and rumps of females are dull orange. Finches are huge, and they move at a sluggish pace.
- Pinicola enucleator
- Length: 7.9-9.8 in (20-25 cm)
- Weight: 2.01 oz (57 g)
- Wingspan: 13.0 in (33 cm)
Throughout Canada, but also in the US borderlands, the highlands of California, and the Sierra Nevada, Pine Grosbeaks may be found.
Pine Grosbeaks feed on pine, spruce, and fir seeds, berries, and buds in the woods. In the summer, they will eat a few insects as well.
Pine Grosbeak Call:
Pine Grosbeak nests are usually discovered on a low tree ten to twelve feet above the ground. Twigs, barks, weeds, moss, and lichen are used to construct the nests, which hold two to five eggs. Over two weeks, the female sits on these eggs and they hatch.
Attract Pine Grosbeaks Black oil sunflower seed feeders or suet feeders are ideal for bringing berries in your backyards.
Fun Fact: The name of the Pine Grosbeak is appropriate. Pinicola is a Latin word that means “pine dweller.” This is their scientific name.
10. Hoary Redpoll
In New York, the Haary Redpoll is considered a uncommon or accidental species, but you may see them between November and mid-April if you’re lucky.
Little and tough, Hoary Redpolls are a common sight. Adults have a crimson patch on their foreheads and are usually white. The chest of adult males is pinkish, but that of adult females isn’t.
Females have more streaks on their bellies than males do. Since juveniles lack the red patch on their foreheads, they appear completely different and are mostly gray with streaks.
- Acanthis hornemanni
- Length: 4.7-5.5 in (12-14 cm)
- Weight: 0.4-0.7 oz (11-20 g)
- Wingspan: 8.5-9.25 in (22-23 cm)
In the winter, Hoary Redpolls travel little distances south from their breeding grounds in the Arctic.
In the summer, you can find Hoary Redpolls in both shaded tundra birch woods and open subarctic evergreen woods. In open woodland, scrub, and weedy fields, winter brings them closer to towns and villages. Alder and birch seeds, as well as insects, are their main sources of food.
Hoary Redpoll Song:
Hoary Redpoll nests may be found in tree hollows, rocky crevices, and among thick bushes. The nest is lined with soft grass feathers and animal hair and constructed of twigs, grass, and rootlets. They produce around five eggs, which take ten days to develop. In around two weeks, the young leave the nest.
Fun Fact: Hoary Redpoll may remove some of its body feathers if the temperature in their environment gets too high. They’ll regrow, don’t worry.
11. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch
In New York, gray-crowned Rosy-Finches are an uncommon accidental species. Only a few sightings have been documented since they were last seen in 2012 near Talcottville.
The medium-sized, chunky Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch is a typical bird. The black foreskull and neck, gray crown, and brown body with pink highlights in the bellies of adults distinguish them from other species.
Their bill is yellow in the winter and black during the breeding season. The brown juveniles lack the pink highlights that adults have.
- Leucosticte tephrocotis
- Length: 5.5-8.3 in (14-21 cm)
- Weight: 0.8-2.1 oz (22-60 g)
- Wingspan: 13.0 in (33 cm)
Before moving to western US states in the winter, the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch breed was found in Alaska and western Canada.
In the summer, you may see Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch in alpine meadows, arid tundra, and rocky outcrops. They descend to open plains, valleys, and cities in the winter, especially when there are bird feeders.
During the summer, gray-crowned Rosy-Finch forages in the snowfields, glaciers, and meadows for frozen worms and insects. Mustard and sunflower seeds, as well as weeds, are eaten in the winter.
Gray-crowned Rosy-finch Call:
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch nests are most often discovered in recesses between boulders and cliffs, beneath a rock, or even in abandoned mine shafts and holes.
Their nests are lined with fine grass, animal hair, and feathers; they’re constructed of grass, roots, moss, and sedge. The female usually produces four eggs, which take two weeks to hatch, and the juvenile is ready to leave the nest after another two weeks.
Attract Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches Feeding black oil sunflower seeds to your birds in the backyard. The seeds may be placed on the ground or platform feeders.
Fun Fact: Because they breed on the slopes of Denali, which is known as the continent’s highest peak, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches are expected to take home the prize for “Highest Altitude Breeding Bird in North America.”
How Frequently Finches are Spotted in New York in Summer and Winter
Checklists are a fantastic way to discover which species are commonly seen. On checklists on ebird in the summer and winter, these lists show which Finches are most often recorded.
Finches In New York in Summer:
American Goldfinch 44.7%
House Finch 16.1%
Purple Finch 6.4%
Pine Siskin 1.1%
Evening Grosbeak 0.2%
Red Crossbill 0.1%
White-winged Crossbill <0.1%
Common Redpoll <0.1%
Finches In New York in Winter:
American Goldfinch 24.1%
House Finch 17.5%
Common Redpoll 2.6%
Purple Finch 2.3%
Pine Siskin 2.0%
Evening Grosbeak 0.5%
Red Crossbill 0.3%
White-winged Crossbill 0.2%
Pine Grosbeak 0.1%
Hoary Redpoll 0.1%
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch <0.1%