Best Finch Birdhouses

Watching for finches can be as easy as setting up the perfect habitat in your backyard that includes the best finch birdhouses, low bushes with seeds, bird feeders for finches, and a water source. The finches will nest and breed near water, making them easy to spot if you set up the right setting for them to feel comfortable. They are colorful, friendly birds that are wonderful to watch.

Top 5 Sellers: Best Finch Bird Houses

Finch Bird House FAQs

What kind of birdhouses do Finches like?

The best finch birdhouses are houses that are made from any type of softwood such as pine or cedar. Finches typically like a house that is 6″ x 6″ with a hole that is 1-1/2″ in diameter, located approximately 4-1/2″ up from the floor. the best finch birdhouses will have ventilation holes in the sides and drainage holes in the floors.

How high do you put a Finch birdhouse?

Once you have the best finch birdhouses, it is time to install them. A good way to detract predators from hunting finches is to mount your birdhouse on a metal pole. This is a preferred way to install your birdhouse vs securing it to a tree.  Place your birdhouse at a height of 5 to 10 feet.

Also, refrain from placing the best finch birdhouses close to bird feeders. Take into consideration the sun. Do not place the best finch birdhouses in an area that could cause overheating.

When should you hang a Finch house?

The best finch birdhouses should be installed with ample time before the finch breeding season begins. You should aim to get your birdhouse installed in late summer or early fall. This gives the house time to weather and to be found.

What You Need To Know About Finches

The finch is a bird you will find on across multiple continents and islands. They will not all look the same, but they have similar traits and habits that cross the world from the males being multi-colored gems with the females being plainer. They have had a long history as coal miners checkers for carbon monoxide and pets.

How to Identify a Finch

How to identify a finch is something that needs to be broken into countries and regions. These colorful birds are around the world, and at first glance, you might not know it is a finch until you hear it sing. There are hundreds of species of finches and habitat, appearance and song all tell you what kind of a finch it is.

• Size – A finch is a small bird that can grow to 7.6 up to 25.4 centimeters in length. Some types of finches can measure between 3.5 up to 8.9 centimeters in length without measuring the tail.
• Forked or Notched Tails – The tails of the finch come with an indentation in the tail that varies in length. They will all have a degree of a fork in their tail with some types of finches, such as the house finch having a longer than average tail.
• Con-Shaped Beak – The beak on a finch can be very distinctive. Finches have small beaks with a triangular beak. The beaks help the finch eat small seeds and plants such as the thistle. Some larger finches such as the American Goldfish will eat larger fruits and seeds.
• Gender Differences – The male finches are easier to spot than the female because of their bright colors that place bright colors on breasts, heads, and tails. The females are brown and white with a stripe across the eyes in some types of finches. Both genders live inside low bushes and grass to provide camouflage as well as easy access to food sources such as seeds.

Types of Finches in North America

The most common types of finches are only a handful of numbers that sprinkle the world. Some of the most common types of finches you can find year-round in the southern half of the United States with some types of birds alternating their residence depending on the season.

Cassin’s Finch

Cassin’s Finch is finch you will find in the Rocky Mountain region of North America. Cassin’s Finch is a blushing red color that is similar to other types of red-colored finches. They measure around six inches in length, and you can find them year-round in certain areas and around bird feeders, especially during the winter months. The males have distinctive red markings around their heads, with the females being a collection of brown colors with the same sharp beak.

European Goldfinch

The European Goldfinch started in Europe, but you can find it in the northern section of the United States. The finch is a regular in Michigan and though mostly a pet finch you will find in the American pet shop. They are increasing in number around the United States as they end up released from captivity.

The finch measures five and a half inches in length and is mostly brown with black and yellow wings and a red face.

House Finch

You can find the House Finch in Western North America, Mexico, and Central America. Introduced to the east coast in 1940, the House Finch covers much of the United States. Across the region, the male birds will change color from yellow and orange to red. The females are brown with streaks.

Both genders of birds will sing though the male will repeat four lyrical notes to the female’s shorter responses. You can find the finch year-round as they do not migrate much except to warmer areas during the winter.

Lawrence’s Goldfinch

Lawrence’s Goldfinch is one of the hardest birds to attract and find. The bird likes mountains and has only small numbers kin. You can find them along the west coast of the United States starting in the southern reaches of Oregon, traveling through California and Arizona.

The finch is also one of the smallest of its kind growing to less than five inches in length. The finch does not stand out in color as other types of finches. The finch is mostly a grayish-white with black and yellow marked wings.

Lesser Goldfinch

There are two different kinds of lesser goldfinches in North America. The more commonly seen finch can be found from Washington State down to New Mexico. The Northern Lesser goldfinch has a greenback with a yellow belly.

The second type of finch is only found in eastern Arizona, Texas and deep into Mexico. The southern lesser goldfish has a black back and yellow belly. Both types of lesser goldfinch are not uncommon to see in your back yard if you live in the southwestern side of the country.

Purple Finch

The purple finch is miss-named. Being a reddish raspberry color across the back and head with speckles of red on the belly, the purple finch is common in the United States and Canada. They like living around the edges of forests, but also like visiting birdfeeders in the backyards during the winter.

While not as flashy as the males, the females of the species are brown and olive in coloring with a streak down the back and breast. The purple finch will often be seen in the company of finches of other species. You will see the finch ear around on the west and east coasts of the country and during the summer in Canada.

American Goldfinch

The American Goldfinch is very distinctive in appearance for its bright gold appearance and its wide range of habitats. Found across the United States, most of Canada and parts of Mexico, the birds are five inches in length and easy to find in bird feeders. The finches follow migratory patterns with many spending the winter in Canada, though it is not uncommon to find them in Florida, California, and British Columbia.

How to Attract a Finch to Your Yard

Attracting finches to your yard can add beauty and song to your yard. They are lovely birds to watch, and learning their habits can bring them into your yard. There are several things you can do that will bring you, daily visitors.

Water Source

Finches love water. They will come to the birdbath, stream, or fountain in your yard as long as it is fresh and clean. They will return for more if you keep the water source available with stones or branches available to help them figure out the water is not that deep.

Food For Finches

Most finches love seeds and small thistles. Put a feeder out with small seeds or black oil sunflower seeds that can bring them to your yard for a meal. They also enjoy Nyjer and bark butter.

Finch Bird Houses or Low Bushes

Finches like to have a home, just like any other animal. Small trees, bushes, or the best finch birdhouses can give them a place to live. They like open meadows and, in some cases, woods, but if you do not have these available, the right plants and small houses can give you plenty of visitors to your yard.

Finch Habits

Finches are some of the most common birds to find around the country, but their habits depend on the part of the country they reside in. They have their own communities and lifestyles that are similar across the country.

• Social – Finches are social birds. They often congregate during feeding time, so if you see one finch around your birdbath, you can expect more.
• Handling – Finches do not like handling, so if you do attract them to your yard, leave them alone. They are lovely birds to watch, and touching them will frighten them away. They will perch on your finger if they regularly come to your yard and grow to see you regularly.
• Pets – Finches can become a pet though they love spacious areas and do not take well to being caged. They like to fly, so if you do take one as a pet, get them a very large cage to give them space to move around and make a home.
• Bird Song – Finches like to sing to each other, but they can be a very quiet bird to have in a home. They are the perfect companion for a small apartment. If they do choose to make noise, it is very quiet, and it does not travel.

Finch Behavior and Migration Patterns

Bird House and Nesting Behaviors

Finches are monogamous birds that connect with their spouses during the winter months. The birds will mate for years and travel together to nesting sites and favorite feeding spots. They like to nest in grasses using weeds and twigs to line their nests, which they build during the months of July and August. They incubate up to five eggs for up to fourteen days with the baby finches reaching maturity up to fifteen days after hatching.

The male will court the female through displays of fluttering while singing. A female that accepts the overtures of the male finch will build a nest in low shrubs, the best finch birdhouses, and trees in preparation for parenthood. They will use contact fibers of grass, twigs, thistles, and spider webs to build a tight, neat nest.

The nest they build will be near water, but also near the ground for when the young birds start preparing to fly. Both the male and female will feed up to seven eggs with the female have less to do with the maturing finches. The baby finches will leave the nest after seventeen days of life.

Migration Habit

Finches will migrate during the winter months, but only within a range of their main territory. They do not follow regular migratory patterns, with many remaining in the Northern regions throughout the year if there is a good supply of food and water. If they do migrate, they will do so in the mid-fall or early spring though the finches located in the southern areas closer to the equator will linger in the south to nest.

Get started today with attracting finches to your yard by installing the best finch birdhouses, providing a good water source, providing adequate landscaping, and hanging a few bird feeders for finches!

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