The true finches are small to medium-sized

passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usually resident and do not migrate. They have a worldwide distribution except for Australia and the polar regions. The family Fringillidae contains more than two hundred species divided into fifty genera. It includes species known as siskins, canaries,

redpolls The redpolls (genus ''Acanthis'') (in Great Britain also historically known as redpoles) are a group of small passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae, which have characteristic red markings on their heads. They are placed in the genus ' ...

, serins, grosbeaks and euphonias. Many birds in other families are also commonly called "finches". These groups include the

estrildid finch Estrildidae, or estrildid finches, is a family of small seed-eating passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They comprise species commonly known as munias, mannikins, firefinches, parrotfinches and waxbills. Despite the word "fi ...

es (

Estrildidae Estrildidae, or estrildid finches, is a family of small seed-eating passerine birds of the Old World tropics and Australasia. They comprise species commonly known as munias, mannikins, firefinches, parrotfinches and waxbills. Despite the word "fi ...

) of the Old World tropics and Australia; some members of the Old World bunting family (

Emberizidae The buntings are a group of Old World passerine birds forming the genus ''Emberiza'', the only genus in the family Emberizidae. The family contains 45 species. They are seed-eating birds with stubby, conical bills. Taxonomy The family Emberizid ...

) and the

New World sparrow New World sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming the family Passerellidae. They are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns. Although they share t ...

family (

Passerellidae New World sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming the family Passerellidae. They are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns. Although they share t ...

); and the

Darwin's finches Darwin's finches (also known as the Galápagos finches) are a group of about 18 species of passerine birds. They are well known for their remarkable diversity in beak form and function. They are often classified as the subfamily Geospizinae or t ...

of the Galapagos islands, now considered members of the

tanager The tanagers (singular ) comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the Neotropica ...

family (

Thraupidae The tanagers (singular ) comprise the bird family Thraupidae, in the order Passeriformes. The family has a Neotropical distribution and is the second-largest family of birds. It represents about 4% of all avian species and 12% of the Neotropica ...

).Newton (1973), Clement ''et al.'' (1993) Finches and canaries were used in the UK, US and Canada in the coal mining industry to detect

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...

from the eighteenth to twentieth century. This practice ceased in the UK in 1986.

Systematics and taxonomy

The taxonomy of the finch family, in particular the cardueline finches, has a long and complicated history. The study of the relationship between the

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

has been confounded by the recurrence of similar morphologies due to the

convergence Convergence may refer to: Arts and media Literature *''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen *Convergence (comics), "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics: **A four-part crossover storyline that ...

of species occupying similar niches. In 1968 the American ornithologist Raymond Andrew Paynter, Jr. wrote:

Limits of the genera and relationships among the species are less understood – and subject to more controversy – in the carduelines than in any other species of passerines, with the possible exception of the estrildines axbills

Beginning around 1990 a series of phylogenetic studies based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences resulted in substantial revisions in the taxonomy. Several groups of birds that had previously been assigned to other families were found to be related to the finches. The

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...

Euphonia Euphonias are members of the genus ''Euphonia'', a group of Neotropical birds in the finch family. They and the chlorophonias comprise the subfamily Euphoniinae. The genus name is of Greek origin and refers to the birds' pleasing song, meanin ...

'' and the ''Chlorophonia'' were formerly placed in the tanager family

due to their similar appearance but analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences revealed that both genera were more closely related to the finches. They are now placed in a separate subfamily Euphoniinae within the Fringillidae. The

Hawaiian honeycreeper Hawaiian honeycreepers are a group of small, passerine birds endemic to Hawaii. They are closely related to the rosefinches in the genus ''Carpodacus'', but many species have evolved features unlike those present in any other finch. Their great ...

s were at one time placed in their own family, Drepanididae but were found to be closely related to the ''

Carpodacus The rosefinches are a genus, ''Carpodacus'', of passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae. Most are called "rosefinches" and as the word implies, have various shades of red in their plumage. The common rosefinch is frequently called the ...

'' rosefinches and are now placed within the Carduelinae subfamily. The three largest genera, ''

'', ''

Carduelis The genus ''Carduelis'' is a group of birds in the finch family Fringillidae. The genus ''Carduelis'' was introduced by the French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 by tautonomy based on Carl Linnaeus's specific epithet for the Europe ...

'' and ''

Serinus ''Serinus'' is a genus of small birds in the finch family Fringillidae found in Europe and Africa. The birds usually have some yellow in their plumage. The genus was introduced in 1816 by the German naturalist Carl Ludwig Koch. Its name is New L ...

'' were found to be

polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...

. Each was split into monophyletic genera. The American rosefinches were moved from ''Carpodacus'' to ''

Haemorhous The American rosefinches that form the genus ''Haemorhous'', are a group of passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae. As the name implies ("haemo" means "blood" in Greek), various shades of red are characteristic plumage colors of this g ...

''. ''Carduelis'' was split by moving the greenfinches to '' Chloris'' and a large clade into '' Spinus'' leaving just three species in the original genus. Thirty seven species were moved from ''Serinus'' to ''

Crithagra ''Crithagra'' is a genus of small passerine birds in the finch family (Fringillidae). They live in Africa and Arabia. The species in this genus were formerly assigned to the genus '' Serinus'', but phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nucl ...

'' leaving eight species in the original genus. Today the family Fringillidae is divided into three subfamilies, the

Fringillinae The genus ''Fringilla'' is a small group of finches from the Old World, which are the only species in the subfamily Fringillinae. The genus name ''Fringilla'' is Latin for "finch". Taxonomy The genus ''Fringilla'' was introduced in 1758 by the ...

containing a single

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

with the chaffinches, the

Carduelinae The cardueline finches are a subfamily, Carduelinae, one of three subfamilies of the finch family Fringillidae, the others being the Fringillinae and the Euphoniinae. The Hawaiian honeycreepers are now included in this subfamily. Except for the ...

containing 183 species divided into 49 genera, and the

Euphoniinae Euphoniinae is a subfamily of finches endemic to the Neotropics. It contains two genera, ''Euphonia'' and '' Chlorophonia''. The two genera were at one time included in the tanager family Thraupidae. In a large phylogenetic study of the finch ...

containing the ''Euphonia'' and the ''

Chlorophonia ''Chlorophonia'' is a genus of finches in the family Fringillidae. The Chlorophonias are endemic to the Neotropics. They are small, mostly bright green birds that inhabit humid forests and nearby habitats, especially in highlands. The genus ' ...

''. Although Przewalski's "rosefinch" (''Urocynchramus pylzowi'') has ten primary flight feathers rather than the nine primaries of other finches, it was sometimes classified in the Carduelinae. It is now assigned to a distinct family, Urocynchramidae, monotypic as to genus and species, and with no particularly close relatives among the Passeroidea.

Fossil record

Fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

remains of true finches are rare, and those that are known can mostly be assigned to extant genera at least. Like the other Passeroidea families, the true finches seem to be of roughly Middle Miocene origin, around 20 to 10

million years ago The abbreviation Myr, "million years", is a unit of a quantity of (i.e. ) years, or 31.556926 teraseconds. Usage Myr (million years) is in common use in fields such as Earth science and cosmology. Myr is also used with Mya (million years ago) ...

(Ma). An unidentifable finch fossil from the Messinian

age Age or AGE may refer to: Time and its effects * Age, the amount of time someone or something has been alive or has existed ** East Asian age reckoning, an Asian system of marking age starting at 1 * Ageing or aging, the process of becoming older ...

, around 12 to 7.3

(Ma) during the Late Miocene subepoch, has been found at

Polgárdi Polgárdi is a town in Fejér county, Hungary, reportedly the site where the Sevso Treasure was discovered. Geography Polgárdi is located at an altitude of about 144 metres, about 12 kilometres northeast of Lake Balaton, a resort area in wester ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

Etymology

The scientific name Fringillidae comes from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

word ''fringilla'' for the

common chaffinch The common chaffinch or simply the chaffinch (''Fringilla coelebs'') is a common and widespread small passerine bird in the finch family. The male is brightly coloured with a blue-grey cap and rust-red underparts. The female is more subdued in ...

(''Fringilla coelebs''), a member of the family which is common in Europe. The name was coined (as Fringilladæ) by the English zoologist

William Elford Leach William Elford Leach FRS (2 February 1791 – 25 August 1836) was an English zoologist and marine biologist. Life and work Elford Leach was born at Hoe Gate, Plymouth, the son of an attorney. At the age of twelve he began a medical appre ...

in a guide to the contents of the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

published in 1820. The name of the author is not specified in the document but Leach was the Keeper of Zoology at the time. The study of this family is known as Fringillology.

Description

The smallest "classical" true finches are the

Andean siskin The Andean siskin (''Spinus spinescens'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtropical or tropical high-al ...

(''Spinus spinescens'') at as little as 9.5 cm (3.8 in) and the

lesser goldfinch The lesser goldfinch (''Spinus psaltria'') is a very small songbird of the Americas. Together with its relatives the American goldfinch and Lawrence's goldfinch, it forms the New World goldfinch clade in the genus '' Spinus''. As is the case f ...

(''Spinus psaltria'') at as little as . The largest species is probably the

collared grosbeak The collared grosbeak (''Mycerobas affinis'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. Its range encompasses the northern regions of the Indian Subcontinent, mainly the Himalayas, along with some adjoining regions. It is found in Bhuta ...

(''Mycerobas affinis'') at up to and , although larger lengths, to in the

pine grosbeak The pine grosbeak (''Pinicola enucleator'') is a large member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Pinicola''. It is found in coniferous woods across Alaska, the western mountains of the United States, Can ...

(''Pinicola enucleator''), and weights, to in the

evening grosbeak The evening grosbeak (''Hesperiphona vespertina'') is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae found in North America. Taxonomy The IOC checklist and the '' Handbook of the Birds of the World'' place the evening grosbeak and the clos ...

(''Hesperiphona vespertina''), have been recorded in species which are slightly smaller on average.''Finches and Sparrows'' by Peter Clement. Princeton University Press (1999). .''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses'' by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), . They typically have strong, stubby

beak The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for foo ...

s, which in some species can be quite large; however,

s are famous for the wide range of bill shapes and sizes brought about by

adaptive radiation In evolutionary biology, adaptive radiation is a process in which organisms diversify rapidly from an ancestral species into a multitude of new forms, particularly when a change in the environment makes new resources available, alters biotic int ...

. All true finches have 9 primary

remiges Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tai ...

and 12

rectrices Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tail ...

. The basic plumage colour is brownish, sometimes greenish; many have considerable amounts of black, while white plumage is generally absent except as wing-bars or other signalling marks. Bright yellow and red carotenoid

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compou ...

s are commonplace in this family, and thus blue structural colours are rather rare, as the yellow pigments turn the blue color into green. Many, but by no means all true finches have strong sexual dichromatism, the females typically lacking the bright carotenoid markings of males.

Distribution and habitat

The finches have a near-global distribution, being found across the Americas, Eurasia and Africa, as well as some island groups such as the Hawaiian islands. They are absent from Australasia, Antarctica, the Southern Pacific and the islands of the Indian Ocean, although some European species have been widely introduced in Australia and New Zealand. Finches are typically inhabitants of well-wooded areas, but some can be found on mountains or even in deserts.

Behaviour

The finches are primarily

granivorous Seed predation, often referred to as granivory, is a type of plant-animal interaction in which granivores (seed predators) feed on the seeds of plants as a main or exclusive food source,Hulme, P.E. and Benkman, C.W. (2002) "Granivory", pp. 132 ...

, but euphoniines include considerable amounts of

arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and cuticle made of chiti ...

s and

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...

in their diet, and Hawaiian honeycreepers evolved to utilize a wide range of food sources, including nectar. The diet of Fringillidae

nestling Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight s ...

s includes a varying amount of small arthropods. True finches have a bouncing flight like most small

s, alternating bouts of flapping with gliding on closed wings. Most sing well and several are commonly seen

cagebird Aviculture is the practice of keeping and breeding birds, especially of wild birds in captivity. Types There are various reasons that people get involved in aviculture. Some people breed birds to preserve a species. Some people breed parrots a ...

s; foremost among these is the

domesticated Domestication is a sustained multi-generational relationship in which humans assume a significant degree of control over the reproduction and care of another group of organisms to secure a more predictable supply of resources from that group. A ...

canary Canary originally referred to the island of Gran Canaria on the west coast of Africa, and the group of surrounding islands (the Canary Islands). It may also refer to: Animals Birds * Canaries, birds in the genera ''Serinus'' and ''Crithagra'' i ...

(''Serinus canaria domestica''). The nests are basket-shaped and usually built in trees, more rarely in bushes, between rocks or on similar substrate.

List of genera

The family Fringillidae contains 231 species divided into 50 genera and three subfamilies. The subfamily

includes 18 extinct Hawaiian honeycreepers and the extinct

Bonin grosbeak The Bonin grosbeak or Bonin Islands grosbeak (''Carpodacus ferreorostris'') is an extinct finch. It is one of the diverse bird taxa that are vernacularly called "grosbeaks", but it is not closely related to the grosbeaks ''sensu stricto''. Many ...

. See

List of Fringillidae species The family Fringillidae are the "true" finches. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) recognizes these 234 species in the family, distributed among three subfamilies and 50 genera. Confusingly, only 74 of the species include "finch" in ...

for further details. Subfamily Fringillinae * ''

Fringilla The genus ''Fringilla'' is a small group of finches from the Old World, which are the only species in the subfamily Fringillinae. The genus name ''Fringilla'' is Latin for "finch". Taxonomy The genus ''Fringilla'' was introduced in 1758 by the ...

'' – 3 species of chaffinch and the

brambling The brambling (''Fringilla montifringilla'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It has also been called the cock o' the north and the mountain finch. It is widespread and migratory, often seen in very large flocks. Ta ...

Subfamily Carduelinae * ''

Mycerobas The ''Mycerobas'' grosbeaks are a genus of finch in the family Fringillidae The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often h ...

'' – 4 Palearctic

grosbeak Grosbeak is a form taxon containing various species of seed-eating passerine birds with large beaks. Although they all belong to the superfamily Passeroidea, these birds are not part of a natural group but rather a polyphyletic assemblage of di ...

s * ''

Coccothraustes The hawfinch (''Coccothraustes coccothraustes'') is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is the only species placed in the genus ''Coccothraustes''. Its closest living relatives are the Chinese grosbeak (''Eophona migratoria'') ...

'' – 3 species * ''

Eophona The Oriental grosbeaks (''Eophona'') are a genus of finches containing two species: The genus was introduced in 1851 by the English ornithologist and bird artist John Gould John Gould (; 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an Engl ...

'' – 2 oriental grosbeaks, the

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

and the

Japanese grosbeak The Japanese grosbeak (''Eophona personata'') or Ikaru is a finch native to the East Palearctic. It is also sometimes referred to as the Japanese or masked hawfinch due to superficial similarities to the well-known Eurasian species. Descripti ...

* ''

Pinicola The pine grosbeak (''Pinicola enucleator'') is a large member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Pinicola''. It is found in coniferous woods across Alaska, the western mountains of the United States, Can ...

'' –

* ''

Pyrrhula Pyrrhula is a small genus of passerine birds, commonly called bullfinches, belonging to the finch family (Fringillidae). The genus has a Palearctic distribution; almost all species occur in Asia, with two species exclusively in the Himalayas and ...

'' – 8 bullfinch species * ''

Rhodopechys Rhodopechys is a genus of finches containing the following two species: The desert finch, ''Carduelis obsoleta'' (formerly ''Rhodopechys obsoleta''), has turned out to belong to the (sub)genus ''Chloris'' in the genus ''Carduelis'' as indicate ...

'' – 2 species, the

Asian crimson-winged finch The Asian crimson-winged finch (''Rhodopechys sanguineus'') is a pale-colored thickset finch with a heavy, dull yellowish bill. It is found from Turkey to NE Pakistan. The African crimson-winged finch was formerly considered conspecific and toge ...

and the

African crimson-winged finch The African crimson-winged finch (''Rhodopechys alienus'') is a pale-colored thickset finch with a heavy, dull yellowish bill. It is found in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Asian crims ...

* '' Bucanetes'' –

trumpeter The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard B ...

and the

Mongolian finch The Mongolian finch (''Bucanetes mongolicus''), also known as the Mongolian trumpeter finch, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Description The Mongolian finch is a small, long-winged bird. It has a large head and short, ...

* ''

Agraphospiza Blanford's rosefinch (''Agraphospiza rubescens'') or the crimson rosefinch, is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, and Nepal. Its natural habitat is boreal forest. Blanford's rosefinch was formerly ...

'' –

Blanford's rosefinch Blanford's rosefinch (''Agraphospiza rubescens'') or the crimson rosefinch, is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, and Nepal. Its natural habitat is boreal forest. Blanford's rosefinch was formerly ...

* '' Callacanthis'' –

spectacled finch The spectacled finch (''Callacanthis burtoni'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in temperate northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, ranging across Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. Its natural habitat i ...

* '' Pyrrhoplectes'' –

golden-naped finch The golden-naped finch (''Pyrrhoplectes epauletta'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is in monotypic genus ''Pyrrhoplectes''. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, and Nepal. Its natural habitat is temperate forest. ...

* '' Procarduelis'' –

dark-breasted rosefinch The dark-breasted rosefinch (''Procarduelis nipalensis'') is a species of true finch in the monotypic genus ''Procarduelis''. It is found in Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are bor ...

* '' Leucosticte'' – 6 species of mountain and rosy finches * ''

'' – 28 Palearctic rosefinch species *

group (tribe Drepanidini) **''Melamprosops'' – contains a single extinct species, the po'ouli ** '' Paroreomyza'' – 3 species, the

Oahu alauahio Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

, the

Maui alauahio The island of Maui (; Hawaiian: ) is the second-largest of the islands of the state of Hawaii at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2) and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is the largest of Maui County's four islands, whic ...

and the extinct kakawahie ** ''Oreomystis'' – akikiki ** ''

Telespiza ''Telespiza'' is a genus of Hawaiian honeycreeper. All species in it are or were endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Species *†''Telespiza persecutrix'' James & Olson, 1991 - Kauai finch (prehistoric) *†''Telespiza ypsilon'' James & Olso ...

'' – 4 species, the

Laysan finch The Laysan finch (''Telespiza cantans'') is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper, that is endemic to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It is one of four remaining finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreepers and is closely related to the smaller Nihoa fin ...

, the

Nihoa finch The Nihoa finch (''Telespiza ultima'') is one of the two endemic bird species of the tiny Hawaiian island Nihoa, the other being the Nihoa millerbird. When it was classified in 1917, scientists thought that it would be the last endemic species na ...

, and 2 prehistoric species ** ''

Loxioides ''Loxioides'' is a genus of Hawaiian honeycreeper, in the subfamily Carduelinae. The birds are endemic to Hawaii. Species It contains the following species: * '' Loxioides bailleui'' Oustalet, 1877 - palila * '' Loxioides kikuichi'' James & ...

'' – 2 species, the

palila The palila (''Loxioides bailleui'') is a critically endangered finch-billed species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. It has a golden-yellow head and breast, with a light belly, gray back, and greenish wings and tail. The bird has a close ecological rel ...

and a prehistoric species ** ''

Rhodacanthis ''Rhodacanthis'' is an extinct genus of Hawaiian honeycreepers commonly known as koa finches. All four species were endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Members of this genus were granivores, with bills adapted to the seeds and pods of legumes. Th ...

'' – 2 recently extinct species, the lesser and the

greater koa finch The greater koa finch (''Rhodacanthis palmeri'') was a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It was found only in the Hawaiian Islands. It has been extinct since the late 19th century. Description The bird was about 7–8 in (18–20 ...

, and 2 prehistoric species ** ''Chloridops'' – extinct species, the

Kona grosbeak The Kona grosbeak (''Chloridops kona'') is an extinct species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. The Kona grosbeak was endemic to naio ('' Myoporum sandwicense'') forests on ʻaʻā lava flows at elevations of near the Kona District on the island of H ...

** ''Psittirostra'' – ou ** ''Dysmorodrepanis'' – extinct species, the

Lanai hookbill Lanai ( haw, Lānai, , , also ,) is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands and the smallest publicly accessible inhabited island in the chain. It is colloquially known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple pl ...

** ''

Drepanis ''Drepanis'' is a genus of Hawaiian honeycreeper in the subfamily Carduelinae of the family Fringillidae. The birds are endemic to Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific ...

'' – 2 extinct species, the Hawaii mamo and the black mamo, and the extant iiwi ** '' Ciridops'' – single recently extinct species, the Ula-ai-hawane, and 3 prehistoric species ** '' Palmeria'' – contains a single species, the akohekohe ** '' Himatione'' – 2 species, the apapane and the extinct

Laysan honeycreeper The Laysan honeycreeper or Laysan apapane (''Himatione fraithii'') is an extinct bird species that was endemic to the island of Laysan in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Taxonomy The species was described by the British ornithologist Walter ...

** ''Viridonia'' – single extinct species, the greater amakihi ** '' Akialoa'' – 4 recently extinct species, and 2 prehistoric species ** ''

Hemignathus ''Hemignathus'' is a Hawaiian honeycreeper genus in the subfamily Carduelinae of the finch family, Fringillidae. These birds are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Extinctions Many of its species became extinct during the 19th and 20th centurie ...

'' – 4 species, only one of which is extant ** '' Pseudonestor'' –

Maui parrotbill The Maui parrotbill or kiwikiu (''Pseudonestor xanthophrys'') is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper endemic to the island of Maui in Hawaii. It can only be found in of mesic and wet forests at on the windward slopes of Haleakalā. This spec ...

** '' Magumma'' – anianiau ** ''

Loxops ''Loxops'' is a Hawaiian honeycreeper genus in the finch family (biology), family, Fringillidae. Most of them are commonly known as akepa. Taxonomy There are 5 species in this genus, two of which are recently extinct or possibly extinct: * ‘A ...

'' – 5 species, of which one is extinct ** ''

Chlorodrepanis ''Chlorodrepanis'' is a genus of Hawaiian honeycreeper in the subfamily Carduelinae of the family Fringillidae. The birds are endemic to Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the P ...

'' – 3 species, the

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

and Kauai amakihi * ''

'' – 3 North America rosefinches * '' Chloris'' – 6 greenfinches * ''

Rhodospiza The desert finch (''Rhodospiza obsoleta''), sometimes called Lichtenstein's desert finch, is a large brown true finch found in southern Eurasia. Its taxonomy is confused, and it has formerly been placed in ''Fringilla'', '' Bucanetes'', ''Cardue ...

'' –

desert finch The desert finch (''Rhodospiza obsoleta''), sometimes called Lichtenstein's desert finch, is a large brown true finch found in southern Eurasia. Its taxonomy is confused, and it has formerly been placed in ''Fringilla'', '' Bucanetes'', ''Cardu ...

* '' Rhynchostruthus'' – 3 golden-winged grosbeaks * '' Linurgus'' –

oriole finch The oriole finch (''Linurgus olivaceus'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is found in Africa and is native to Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Suda ...

* ''

'' – 37 species of canaries, serins and siskins from Africa and the Arabian Peninsula * ''

Linaria ''Linaria'' is a genus of almost 200 species of flowering plants, one of several related groups commonly called toadflax. They are annuals and herbaceous perennials, and the largest genus in the Antirrhineae tribe of the plantain family Plan ...

'' – 4 species including the

twite The twite (''Linaria flavirostris'') is a small brown passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is similar in size and shape to a linnet, at long. It lacks the red head patch and breast shown by the linnet and the redpolls. It is bro ...

and three linnets * '' Acanthis'' – 3 redpolls * ''

Loxia The crossbill is a genus, ''Loxia'', of birds in the finch family (Fringillidae), with six species. These birds are characterised by the mandibles with crossed tips, which gives the group its English name. Adult males tend to be red or orange in ...

'' – 6 crossbills * ''

Chrysocorythus ''Chrysocorythus'' is a genus of finches in the family Fringillidae. It contains the following species: * Indonesian serin The Indonesian serin (''Chrysocorythus estherae'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in In ...

'' – 2 species * ''

'' – 3 species including the

European goldfinch The European goldfinch or simply the goldfinch (''Carduelis carduelis'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family that is native to Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia. It has been introduced to other areas, including Austral ...

* ''

'' – 8 species including the

European serin The European serin, or simply the serin (''Serinus serinus''), is the smallest European species of the family of finches (Fringillidae) and is closely related to the Atlantic canary. Its diet consists mainly of a combination of buds and seeds. ...

* '' Spinus'' – 20 species including the North American goldfinches and the

Eurasian siskin The Eurasian siskin (''Spinus spinus'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European siskin, common siskin or just siskin. Other (archaic) names include ''black-headed goldfinch'', ''barley bird'' a ...

Subfamily Euphoniinae * ''

'' – 27 species all with euphonia in their English name * ''

'' – 5 species all with chlorophonia in their English name

Gallery

File:Coccothraustes coccothraustes 1 (Marek Szczepanek).jpg,

Hawfinch The hawfinch (''Coccothraustes coccothraustes'') is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is the only species placed in the genus ''Coccothraustes''. Its closest living relatives are the Chinese grosbeak (''Eophona migratoria'') ...

(''Coccothraustes coccothraustes''), one of the

Holarctic The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical reg ...

s File:Cassin's Finch (male).jpg,

Cassin's finch Cassin's finch (''Haemorhous cassinii'') is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. This species and the other "American rosefinches" are placed in the genus ''Haemorhous''. Description Measurements: * Length: 6.3 in (16 cm) * Weight: 0.8-1 ...

(''Haemorhous cassinii''), an American rosefinch File:Carpodacus roseus.jpg, Pallas' rosefinch (''Carpodacus roseus''), a true rosefinch File:PINTASSILGO ( Carduelis magellanica ).jpg,

Hooded siskin The hooded siskin (''Spinus magellanicus'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family (Fringillidae), native to South America. It belongs to the putative clade of neotropical siskins in the genus '' Spinus sensu lato''. There are 11 subspe ...

(''Spinus magellanicus'') File:Vestiaria coccinea -Hawaii -adult-8 (4).jpg,

ʻIʻiwi The iiwi (''Drepanis coccinea'', pronounced , ''ee-EE-vee'') or scarlet honeycreeper is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. The iiwi is a highly recognizable symbol of Hawaii. The iiwi is the third most common native land bird in the Hawaiian Is ...

(''Drepanis coccinea''), a

File:Euphonia violacea-2.jpg, Male

violaceous euphonia The violaceous euphonia (''Euphonia violacea'') is a small passerine bird in the true finch family. It is a resident breeder from Trinidad, Tobago and eastern Venezuela south to Paraguay and northeastern Argentina. The bird's range in northern Br ...

(''Euphonia violacea'') File:Carduelis carduelis close up.jpg,

(''Carduelis carduelis'') File:Chloris chloris.jpg,

European greenfinch The European greenfinch or simply the greenfinch (''Chloris chloris'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. This bird is widespread throughout Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia. It is mainly resident, but some north ...

(''Chloris chloris'') File:Pinzón azul de Gran Canaria (macho), M. A. Peña.jpg,

Gran Canaria blue chaffinch The Gran Canaria blue chaffinch (''Fringilla polatzeki'') is a species of passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to Gran Canaria in Spain's Canary Islands. Taxonomy Until 2015, the species ''Fringilla teydea'' was classi ...

(''Fringilla polatzeki'') File:Teidefink.jpg,

Tenerife blue chaffinch The Tenerife blue chaffinch (''Fringilla teydea'') is a species of passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is endemic to Tenerife in Spain's Canary Islands. This bird is the natural symbol of this island, together with the Canary Is ...

(''Fringilla teydea'') File:Euphonia elegantissima.jpg,

Elegant euphonia The elegant or blue-hooded euphonia (''Chlorophonia elegantissima'') is a species of bird in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. It was formerly classified i ...

(''Euphonia elegantissima'') File:Desert Finch - Uzbekistan S4E7626-2 (23039952955).jpg,

Desert finch The desert finch (''Rhodospiza obsoleta''), sometimes called Lichtenstein's desert finch, is a large brown true finch found in southern Eurasia. Its taxonomy is confused, and it has formerly been placed in ''Fringilla'', '' Bucanetes'', ''Cardu ...

(''Rhodospiza obsoleta'') File:Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) (13667564073).jpg,

Pine grosbeak The pine grosbeak (''Pinicola enucleator'') is a large member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Pinicola''. It is found in coniferous woods across Alaska, the western mountains of the United States, Can ...

(''Pinicola enucleator'') File:Hesperiphona vespertina CT3.jpg,

Evening grosbeak The evening grosbeak (''Hesperiphona vespertina'') is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae found in North America. Taxonomy The IOC checklist and the '' Handbook of the Birds of the World'' place the evening grosbeak and the clos ...

(''Hesperiphona vespertina'') File:Chloris spinoides.jpg, Yellow-breasted greenfinch (''Chloris spinoides'') File:Serinus flaviventris 2013 03 09.jpg,

Yellow canary The yellow canary (''Crithagra flaviventris'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is a resident breeder in much of the western and central regions of southern Africa and has been introduced to Ascension and St Helena islands. Ta ...

(''Crithagra flaviventris'') File:Streaky Seedeater, Ngorongoro Crater (8495906768).jpg,

Streaky seedeater The streaky seedeater (''Crithagra striolata'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Phylogeny T ...

(''Crithagra striolata'') File:Fringilla coelebs moreletti.png,

Azores chaffinch The Azores chaffinch (''Fringilla coelebs moreletti'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is a subspecies of the common chaffinch that is endemic to the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores, part of Macaronesia in the ...

(''Fringilla coelebs moreletti'')

References

Sources

* Clement, Peter; Harris, Alan & Davis, John (1993): ''Finches and Sparrows: an identification guide''.

Christopher Helm Christopher Alexander Roger Helm (born Dundee, 1 February 1937 – 20 January 2007) was a Scottish book publisher, notably of ornithology related titles, including the '' Helm Identification Guides''. Born in Dundee, he was raised in Forfar ...

, London. * * * * Newton, Ian (1973): ''Finches'' (New Naturalist series). Taplinger Publishing.

External links

Internet Bird Collection.com: Finch videos, photos, and soundsNational Finch and Softbill Society website
— ''organization promoting finch breeding''. * {{Authority control Miocene birds Quaternary birds Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa named by William Elford Leach

Systematics and taxonomy

Fossil record

Etymology

Description

Distribution and habitat

Behaviour

List of genera

Gallery

See also

References

Sources

External links