Look For This streaky brown finch has a narrow, fine-tipped bill and shows yellow flashes in the wings and tail in flight. The pine siskin is 5 inches in length. They are often overlooked when mixed in with winter flocks of American goldfinches, which are drab yellow (but not streaky) in nonbreeding plumage. The siskin’s […]
Look For The adult male has a crown that is brighter red than the rest of its head and neck, giving it a peaked-headed appearance. A pinkish red color on its breast is paler than the extensive red of male purple finches. Female Cassin’s are finely streaked with brown overall, especially on the breast and
Look For People who feed birds are familiar with the house finches that sometimes cover feeders with fluttering, tweeting flocks. It’s easy to see why they were kept as cage birds; the male’s cheery, rich song, marked by a few harsh notes, tumbles brightly down the scale. Females are streaky, pale brown birds with white
Look For The male purple finch is washed with a raspberry red (not purple), as if he’d been dipped upside down in raspberry juice. Unstreaked white flanks, belly, and wings help separate him from the similar male house finch. The female is covered in short, dark brown streaks, looking cleaner overall than a female house
