How to Identify Birds: Wild Finches

Put out a bird feeder with a wild finch blend of bird seed; finches prefer thistle or nyjer seed. These can be purchased at pet stores or grocery stores. Place the feeder in a quiet area of your garden, on a tree branch, a tree stump or a post for example, but be sure to put it in a place where you can observe the birds without disturbing them. It may take a few days, a week or longer before they discover the feeder, but eventually they will come.

Use a camera if you have one, with a good telescopic range for detailed shots of wild finches. Take this with you when you go hiking in rural areas, particularly in spring and summer when finches are more active. Clear photographs will help you to identify a finch. Binoculars are useful for long range viewing. Notice the markings and colors of birds at the bird feeder or in the wild. Write down in a note pad the characteristics such as markings, size and color of a bird you are viewing in the wild if you don't have a camera.

Finches are smaller birds measuring from 4 to 6 inches in length. Since they eat seeds, they have strong, shorter beaks.

Goldfinch males are bright yellow, and are common in all the lower 48 states. The purple finch is common to the American southwest, and males have wine-red or raspberry colored feathers on the upper body. House finches are common east of the Mississippi River and have red or orange-red coloring on the upper body. Pine grosbeaks are larger than most finches and are found in conifer forests. Winter finches are common in the north, and are brown or brick red in color. Pine siskins and redpolls are also frequent visitors to feeders.

Once you are familiar with your local finches, you can even identify them by their songs.

For very similar or rare species of finch, you may need help in identifying them. You can purchase a field guide book of wild birds from a book store or borrow one from the library. You can also use the internet as your tool for identifying finch species. The National Audubon Society is North America's largest bird organization and they provide a wealth of information on specific birds and identification methods.