How Do I Attract Finches to My Feeder?

Finches--members of the seed-eating Fringillidae family--are lively, social little songbirds that are considered one of the most desirable birds to attract to a backyard bird feeder. Their antics are fun to watch, their songs are melodious, their plumage can be colorful, and they need little encouragement to come and feast on the seeds you have set out for them. With the right feeder, food, birdbath, and landscaping, you can have finches flocking to your yard.

  1. Types of Wild Finches

    • The house finch, or carpodacus mexicanus, is a small bird with brown streaky coloration and is common in urban and suburban areas alike. Male house finches can be distinguished by the blush of red on their faces and heads. House finches are gregarious and friendly, tending not only to flock and feed together, but to congregate naturally where humans are. The purple finch, a bit shyer than the house finch, is actually more pinkish-reddish than purple, and is larger and more consistently red than the house finch. Pine siskins are graceful little finches streaked with yellow, and have notched tails. The American goldfinch--claimed simultaneously as the official state bird of New Jersey, Iowa, and Washington-- is the showstopper of the finch family. The males exhibit brilliant, daffodil-yellow-and black plumage in the spring; at other times of the year, they are muted yellow and olive. Both male and female goldfinches exhibit a distinctive, bouncy flight pattern.

    Feeding Wild Finches

    • To attract wild finches, use a tube-type bird feeder, a good choice for smaller, social birds like finches; the many small perches make it easy for the whole flock to perch and enjoy a communal feeding. Fill the feeder with wild birdseed liberally enriched with the finches' special favorites: sunflower, safflower and niger seeds, thistle, white proso millet, and canary seed. Offer suet and nectar as well, in addition to pieces of fresh grapes, bananas, apples, and watermelon. Finches also love the seeds of hollyhock, dandelions, zinnia, and coreopsis. Shake the feeder occasionally to make sure the seed is not sticky or moldy, and change uneaten seed every month.

      To avoid the predations of squirrels, make sure your feeder has squirrel baffles. Place the feeder on a single tree branch 10 feet or more from the trunk of the tree, or away from any other object resourceful squirrels can use as a launching pad, such as trellises, fences, and roofs.

    Environmental Attractions

    • It is not just seed that attracts wild birds such as finches to your yard; a fresh water source and proper landscaping are just as important. Because finches use water not just for drinking but also for bathing and cooling off during the summer, they will appreciate a birdbath.You can choose a hanging birdbath or a decorative pedestal, but keep the water shallow--no more than between 1/2 inch and 3 inches deep. Use small pebbles to vary the depth. If you have the wherewithal, a pond, creek, or fountain on your property is a superb way to attract birds because they are drawn to the gurgling sound of water.

      Landscaping attractive to finches includes plants, shrubs, and trees that graduate in size from groundcover to understory shrubs and trees to tall trees, making a natural transition that induces finches to come closer to your house. Use native plants, hedgerows, evergreen shrubs, wildflowers, and vines, and leave some seedheads for the finches to relish. One place you should not landscape is near the water feature if it is at ground level. Predators can hide there and ambush the finches while they bathe. Everywhere else in your lawn, however, finches will enjoy the habitat and foliage.