Fringillidae

True Finches
Evening Grosbeak.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Fringillidae
Genera many: see list in text

Finches are seed-eating passerine birds, the many species of which are found chiefly in the northern hemisphere, but also to a limited extent in Africa and South America.

They are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have 12 tail feathers and 9 primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well. Nests are basket-shaped and built in trees.

There are two main subfamilies. The first, the Fringilline finches Fringillinae, contains only three species, which feed their young insects rather than seeds:

• Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs
• Blue Chaffinch Fringilla teydea
• Brambling Fringilla montifringilla

The much larger second group, the Cardueline finches Carduelinae contains several genera which feed their young on seeds:

• Serinus, canaries, seedeaters, serins and some siskins
• Carduelis, linnets, redpolls, goldfinches, greenfinches, some siskins.
• Carpodacus, rosefinches
• Loxia, crossbills
• Mycerobas, grosbeaks
• Neospiza, Sao Tomé Grosbeak
• Linurgus, Oriole Finch
• Rhynchostruthus, Golden-winged Grosbeak
• Leucosticte, mountain finches
• Calacanthis, Red-browed Finch
• Rhodopechys, Trumpeter Finch and relatives
• Uragus, Long-tailed Rosefinch
• Urocynchramus, Przewalski's Rosefinch
• Pinicola, pine grosbeaks
• Haematospiza, Scarlet Finch
• Neospiza, Sao Tomé Grosbeak
• Pyrrhula, bullfinches
• Coccothraustes, Hawfinch, Evening Grosbeak
• Eophona, Oriental grosbeaks
• Pyrrhoplectes, Gold-naped Finch

There are many other birds in other groups which are called finches, notably the very similar-looking Estrildids or waxbills, which occur in the Old World tropics and Australia.

Some of the closely related sparrows are also named as "finches", as are some buntings.

• Cardueline finch species without articles and not listed elsewhere yet:
  • Sao Tome Grosbeak, Neospiza concolor
  • Oriole Finch, Linurgus olivaceus
  • Golden-winged Grosbeak, Rhynchostruthus socotranus
  • Pine Grosbeak, Pinicola enucleator
  • Crimson-browed Finch, Pinicola subhimachalus
  • Hawfinch, Coccothraustes coccothraustes
  • Evening Grosbeak, Coccothraustes vespertinus
  • Hooded Grosbeak, Coccothraustes abeillei
  • Yellow-billed Grosbeak, Eophona migratoria
  • Japanese Grosbeak, Eophona personata
  • Black-and-yellow Grosbeak, Mycerobas icterioides
  • Collared Grosbeak, Mycerobas affinis
  • Spot-winged Grosbeak, Mycerobas melanozanthos
  • White-winged Grosbeak, Mycerobas carnipes
  • Gold-naped Finch, Pyrrhoplectes epauletta
  • Spectacled Finch, Callacanthis burtoni
  • Crimson-winged Finch, Rhodopechys sanguinea
  • Trumpeter Finch, Rhodopechys githaginea
  • Mongolian Finch, Rhodopechys mongolica
  • Desert Finch, Rhodopechys obsoleta
  • Long-tailed Rosefinch, Uragus sibiricus
  • Scarlet Finch Haematospiza sipahi

Referenced By