Finch

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 strong flight and most sing well. Nests are basket-shaped and built in trees.

There are two main subfamilies. The first, the 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 Carduelinae contains several genera which feed their young on seeds:

• Serinus, canaries, seedeaters[?] 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 finches[?]
• Uragus, Long-tailed Rosefinch[?]
• Urocynchramus, Przewalski's Rosefinch[?]
• Pinicola, pine grosbeaks[?]
• Haematospiza, Scarlet Finch[?]
• Neospiza, Sao Tomé Grosbeak[?]
• Pyrrhula, bullfinches
• Coccothraustes, Hawfinch[?]
• Eophona, oriental grosbeaks[?]
• Hesperiphona, evening grosbeaks[?]
• Pyrrhoplectes, Gold-naped Finch[?]

There are many other birds in other groups which are called finches, notably the very similar-looking Estrilids 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.