Birds Guide

True Finches
Evening Grosbeak
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia   Phylum: Chordata   Class: Aves   Order: Passeriformes   Family: Fringillidae Vigors, 1825
Genera
Many, see text

Finches are passerine birds, often seed-eating, found chiefly in the northern hemisphere and Africa. One subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics. The taxonomic structure of the true finch family, Fringillidae, is somewhat disputed, with some including the Hawaiian honeycreepers as another subfamily (Drepanidinae) and/or uniting the cardueline and fringilline finches as tribes (Carduelini and Fringillini) in one subfamily; the euphonious finches were thought to be tanagers due to general similarity in appearance and mode of life until their real affinities were realized; the buntings and American sparrows were formerly considered another subfamily (Emberizinae). Przewalski's "Rosefinch" (Urocynchramus pylzowi) is now classified as a distinct, monotypic family with no particularly close relatives.

"Classic" or true finches are small to moderately large and have a strong, stubby beaks, which in some species can be quite large. All have 12 tail feathers and 9 primaries. They have a bouncing flight, alternating bouts of flapping with gliding on closed wings, and most sing well. Their nests are basket-shaped and built in trees.

There are many birds in other families which are often called finches. These include many species in the very similar-looking Estrildids or waxbill family, which occur in the Old World tropics and Australia. Several groups of the Emberizidae family (buntings and American sparrows) are also named as finches, including the Darwin's finches of the Galapagos islands, which provided evidence of Darwin's theory of evolution.

Systematics

The systematics of the cardueline finches are contentious. The layout presented here follows the molecular studies of Marten & Johnson (1986) and Arnaiz-Villena et al. (1998, 2001), and takes into account the traditional splitting of the genus Carduelis. The exact position of several genera in the cardueline sequence is tentative.

FAMILY FRINGILLIDAE

• Subfamily Fringillinae - Fringilline finches; contains only three species, which feed their young on insects rather than seeds.
  • Genus Fringilla - Bramblings and chaffinches
    • Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs)
      Blue Chaffinch (Fringilla teydea)
      Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)

• Subfamily Carduelinae - Cardueline finches; a much larger group that contains several genera which feed their young on seeds.
  • Genus Eophona - Oriental grosbeaks
    Genus Mycerobas - Mycerobas Grosbeaks
    Genus Pinicola - Pine grosbeak
    Genus Pyrrhula - Bullfinches
    Genus Leucosticte - Mountain finches
    Genus N.N. - Dark-breasted Rosefinch, "Carpodacus" nipalensis (possibly belongs into Fringillinae)
    Genus Carpodacus - Rosefinches (may be 2 or 3 genera; probably includes Haematospiza and possibly also Uragus)
    Genus Haematospiza - Scarlet Finch
    Genus Uragus - Streaked rosefinches
    Genus Serinus - Canaries, seedeaters, serins and African siskins
    Genus Carduelis sensu lato
    • (Sub)Genus Carduelis sensu stricto - Linnets, goldfinches, twite and cardueline siskins.
      (Sub)Genus Chloris - greenfinches and desert finch
      (Sub)Genus Acanthis - redpolls
      (Sub)Genus Loxia - Crossbills
  • Genus Rhodopechys - Trumpeter Finch and relatives
    Genus Coccothraustes - Hawfinch, Evening Grosbeak
    Genus Pyrrhoplectes - Gold-naped Finch
    Genus Chaunoproctus - Bonin Grosbeak (extinct)
    Genus Callacanthis - Spectacled Finch
    Genus Neospiza - Sao Tomé Grosbeak
    Genus Linurgus - Oriole Finch
    Genus Rhynchostruthus - Golden-winged Grosbeak

• Subfamily Euphoniinae - Euphonious finches; endemic to the Neotropics; formerly treated in Thraupidae.
  • Genus Euphonia, the euphonias
  • Genus Chlorophonia, the chlorophonias

References

• Arnaiz-Villena, A.; Álvarez-Tejado, M.; Ruiz-del-Valle, V.; García-de-la-Torre, C.; Varela, P.; Recio, M. J.; Ferre. S. & Martínez-Laso, J. (1998): Phylogeny and rapid Northern and Southern Hemisphere speciation of goldfinches during the Miocene and Pliocene Epochs. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 54(9): 1031–1041. DOI:10.1007/s000180050230 PDF fulltext. Erratum, Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 55(1): 148. DOI:10.1007/s000180050280 PDF fulltext

• Arnaiz-Villena, A.; Guillén, J.; Ruiz-del-Valle, V.; Lowy, E.; Zamora, J.; Varela, P.; Stefani, D. & Allende, L. M. (2001): Phylogeography of crossbills, bullfinches, grosbeaks, and rosefinches. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences 58: 1159–1166. PDF fulltext

• Clement, Peter; Harris, Alan & Davis, John (1993): Finches and Sparrows: an identification guide. Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0-7136-8017-2

• Marten, Jill A. & Johnson, Ned K. (1986): Genetic relationships of North American cardueline finches. Condor 88(4): 409-420. PDF fulltext

External links

• Lyric Wild Bird Food - Attracting American Goldfinches to Your Back Yard
• Finch Info & Pictures Information and pictures about various types of finches.
• FinchInfo.com Information on keeping finches as pets.
• Finch videos on the Internet Bird Collection