finch-facts.txt

Finches can reach 3 to 6 inches in length and 0.35 to 1.2 ounces of weight.
Finch has brownish or greenish body covered with black, yellow and red feathers. Males are more vividly colored than females.
Male house finch (type of finch) has red-colored head and breasts. Red color originates from the pigments (carotenoids) from the food that this bird is eating. Females prefer to mate with red males, because red-colored head means that male can provide appropriate type of food for their chicks.
Yellow-color of the house finches head is a sign of stress or inadequate diet.
Finches can have small triangular beak, thick rounded beak or beak with crossed tips, depending on the species and type of diet.
Finches are herbivores (plant eaters). Their diet is based on various types of seed. Some species of finches eat buds and fruit.
Darwin proposed its well known theory of evolution by watching and examining finches on Galapagos Islands. 14 species of Galapagos finches have common ancestor that has arrived on Galapagos million years ago. One type of finch evolved into 14 different types of birds as a result of adaptation to different types of food and habitats (all 14 species of Galapagos finches inhabit different types of habitats/islands). 14 species of Galapagos finches differ in shape and size of their beak, body size and behavior.
Finches are sedentary or partially migratory birds.
Finches are gregarious birds that often live in large flocks, also known as charms. They communicate through various songs.
Finches build basket-shaped nest in the trees, bushes or in the crevices of rocks.
Female lays 2 to 6 pale blue eggs that hatch after incubation period of 13 to 14 days.
Chicks are naked, blind and helpless at birth. They stay in the nest during the first 2 to 3 weeks of their life.
Finches reach sexual maturity at the age of 9 to 12 months.
House finch is often kept as pet. This bird hardly adapts to the life near humans and caretakers should avoid physical contact with imprisoned finch as much as possible. House finch requires presence of other finches to stay healthy both physically and mentally.
Finches can survive up to 20 years, but most birds live from 4 to 7 years in the wild.
Finch is a type of songbird.
Based on the molecular analyses, all finches are divided in 4 subfamilies that contain more than 40 genera.
Finches can be found all over the world except in the Australia. They are especially abundant in the Northern hemisphere.
Finches inhabit deciduous and evergreen forests, tropical and subarctic areas, mountains and deserts.
Finches are popular as pets because of their small size and ability to produce beautiful songs.
A lot of finches are endangered due to habitat destruction, diseases and over-collecting from the wild.
It is one of the smallest birds on Earth and belongs to the largest bird family.
Finches are small and quiet birds that do not need human interaction. They don’t mind having humans around when searching for food on the ground or bird feeders.
The oldest finch arrived in Galapagos Island millions of years back. What eventually contributed to the existence of different finch species were the isolated location of the island, its odd tropical weather and the presence of other small islands that enabled the birds to hop around. The difference among the species lies in their behavior, diet and their beaks.
The house finch was only a western bird before 1940. Then they were illegally shipped to New York City for trade as caged birds. Some pet dealers, however, later released their birds which eventually thrived in Long Island. Since that time, the house finches spread to the eastern and Midwestern part of the U.S. Today, they are one of the most common garden birds.
The house finch, also known as the linnet or papaya bird, was introduced in the state of California in 1870. It is often found in cities. Thanks to backyard feeders, many finches have survived through the years.
Birds are thought to have a poor sense of smell, but scientists have shown otherwise in zebra finches. In the study “Olfactory Kin Recognition In A Songbird", published in the journal “Biology Letters", scientists separated newly hatched zebra finches from their parents' nest and placed them in another nest. When the chicks were around 30 days old, the scientists offered them samples of odors from their parents' nest and their adoptive parents' nest. The chicks showed preference for their parents' scent, and scientists theorize that they use their sense of smell to locate relatives. Since a birds' sense of smell has often been overlooked, this study opens up new questions on how birds use their five senses.