Sparrows & Finches

Sparrows and finches are often small and can be confusing, but there are many distinct and colorful species throughout the world. Often with wide ranges and active behaviors, these are familiar birds to many birders, and their hearty appetites for seeds makes them popular at feeders in backyards and gardens, where they thrive on sunflower seeds, millet and Nyjer, as well as natural seeds from flowers and weeds. These profiles can help you learn even more about what may be some of the most familiar birds in your backyard.

What Is a Sparrow?
What makes a sparrow a sparrow? These little brown jobs share a lot of unique characteristics, even though sparrows are found all over the world.

American Goldfinch
Detailed bird profile of the American goldfinch: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting American goldfinches to your backyard.

Chipping Sparrow
A widespread and familiar sparrow, the chipping sparrow is well named for its "chip" song notes. But how much do you know about this bird's behavior, reproduction and range, or how to identify them in winter?

Common Redpoll
Detailed bird profile of the common redpoll: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting common redpolls to your backyard.

Dark-Eyed Junco
Detailed bird profile of the dark-eyed junco: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting dark-eyed juncos to your backyard.

Eurasian Bullfinch
Detailed bird profile of the Eurasian bullfinch: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting Eurasian bullfinches to your backyard.

Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Detailed bird profile of the Eurasian tree sparrow: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting Eurasian tree sparrows to your backyard.

Fox Sparrow
A crafty little brown job, the fox sparrow is one of the largest North American sparrows, but the wide variations in subspecies make it hard to identify. Learn the key field marks, behaviors and other tricks to recognize fox sparrows.

Gray-Crowned Rosy-Finch
Detailed bird profile of the gray-crowned rosy-finch: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting gray-crowned rosy-finches to your backyard.

Harris's Sparrow
Even though the Harris's sparrow has a restricted range, vagrant sightings make this bird easy for many North American birders to see. Easily recognized by its size and markings, this sparrow is a fun bird to add to your life list.

Hoary Redpoll
Learn about the hoary redpoll, an attractive winter finch that often ventures south in flocks of other finches. But how can you identify them, and where can you see them?

House Finch
Detailed bird profile of the house finch: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting house finches to your backyard.

House Sparrow
Detailed bird profile of house sparrows: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting house sparrows to your backyard.

Lesser Goldfinch
Detailed bird profile of the lesser goldfinch: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting lesser goldfinches to your backyard.

Pine Siskin
Detailed bird profile of the pine siskin: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting pine siskins to your backyard.

Purple Finch
Detailed bird profile of the purple finch: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting purple finches to your backyard.

Song Sparrow
Detailed bird profile of the song sparrow: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting song sparrows to your backyard.

Spotted Towhee
Detailed bird profile of the spotted towhee: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting spotted towhees to your backyard.

White-Crowned Sparrow
Detailed bird profile of the white-crowned sparrow: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting white-crowned sparrows to your backyard.

White-Throated Sparrow
Detailed bird profile of the white-throated sparrow: appearance, foods, habitat, behavior and reproduction. Includes tips for attracting white-throated sparrows to your backyard.

Zebra Finch
The zebra finch is one of the most familiar finches in the world, thanks to its popularity as a pet bird, but how much do you know about wild zebra finches? Includes range, habitat, breeding, conservation, diet and more.

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