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The true finches are small to medium-sized
passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...
bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
s in the
family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usually resident and do not migrate. They have a worldwide distribution except for Australia and the polar regions. The family Fringillidae contains more than two hundred species divided into fifty
genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
. It includes species known as siskins, canaries, redpolls, serins, grosbeaks and euphonias. Many birds in other families are also commonly called "finches". These groups include the estrildid finches ( Estrildidae) of the Old World tropics and
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
; some members of the Old World bunting family ( Emberizidae) and the
New World sparrow New World sparrows are a group of mainly New World passerine birds, forming the family Passerellidae. They are seed-eating birds with conical bills, brown or gray in color, and many species have distinctive head patterns. Although they share t ...
family ( Passerellidae); and the
Darwin's finches Darwin's finches (also known as the Galápagos finches) are a group of about 18 species of passerine birds. They are well known for their remarkable diversity in beak form and function. They are often classified as the subfamily Geospizinae or ...
of the Galapagos islands, now considered members of the tanager family ( Thraupidae).Newton (1973), Clement ''et al.'' (1993) Finches and canaries were used in the UK, US and Canada in the
coal mining Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...
industry to detect
carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide ( chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simpl ...
from the eighteenth to twentieth century. This practice ceased in the UK in 1986.


Systematics and taxonomy

The taxonomy of the finch family, in particular the cardueline finches, has a long and complicated history. The study of the relationship between the
taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...
has been confounded by the recurrence of similar morphologies due to the convergence of species occupying similar niches. In 1968 the American ornithologist Raymond Andrew Paynter, Jr. wrote:
Limits of the genera and relationships among the species are less understood – and subject to more controversy – in the carduelines than in any other species of passerines, with the possible exception of the estrildines axbills
Beginning around 1990 a series of phylogenetic studies based on
mitochondrial A mitochondrion (; ) is an organelle found in the cells of most Eukaryotes, such as animals, plants and fungi. Mitochondria have a double membrane structure and use aerobic respiration to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is used t ...
and nuclear DNA sequences resulted in substantial revisions in the taxonomy. Several groups of birds that had previously been assigned to other families were found to be related to the finches. The
Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In bioge ...
'' Euphonia'' and the ''Chlorophonia'' were formerly placed in the tanager family Thraupidae due to their similar appearance but analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences revealed that both genera were more closely related to the finches. They are now placed in a separate subfamily Euphoniinae within the Fringillidae. The
Hawaiian honeycreeper Hawaiian honeycreepers are a group of small, passerine birds endemic to Hawaii. They are closely related to the rosefinches in the genus ''Carpodacus'', but many species have evolved features unlike those present in any other finch. Their great ...
s were at one time placed in their own family, Drepanididae but were found to be closely related to the ''
Carpodacus The rosefinches are a genus, ''Carpodacus'', of passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae. Most are called "rosefinches" and as the word implies, have various shades of red in their plumage. The common rosefinch is frequently called the ...
'' rosefinches and are now placed within the Carduelinae subfamily. The three largest genera, ''
Carpodacus The rosefinches are a genus, ''Carpodacus'', of passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae. Most are called "rosefinches" and as the word implies, have various shades of red in their plumage. The common rosefinch is frequently called the ...
'', '' Carduelis'' and '' Serinus'' were found to be
polyphyletic A polyphyletic group is an assemblage of organisms or other evolving elements that is of mixed evolutionary origin. The term is often applied to groups that share similar features known as homoplasies, which are explained as a result of conver ...
. Each was split into
monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gr ...
genera. The American rosefinches were moved from ''Carpodacus'' to '' Haemorhous''. ''Carduelis'' was split by moving the greenfinches to ''
Chloris In Greek mythology, the name Chloris (; Greek Χλωρίς ''Chlōrís'', from χλωρός ''chlōrós'', meaning "greenish-yellow", "pale green", "pale", "pallid", or "fresh") appears in a variety of contexts. Some clearly refer to different char ...
'' and a large clade into '' Spinus'' leaving just three species in the original genus. Thirty seven species were moved from ''Serinus'' to '' Crithagra'' leaving eight species in the original genus. Today the family Fringillidae is divided into three subfamilies, the Fringillinae containing a single
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
with the chaffinches, the Carduelinae containing 183 species divided into 49 genera, and the Euphoniinae containing the ''Euphonia'' and the '' Chlorophonia''. Although Przewalski's "rosefinch" (''Urocynchramus pylzowi'') has ten primary flight feathers rather than the nine primaries of other finches, it was sometimes classified in the Carduelinae. It is now assigned to a distinct family, Urocynchramidae, monotypic as to genus and species, and with no particularly close relatives among the
Passeroidea Passerida is, under the Sibley-Ahlquist taxonomy, one of two parvorders contained within the suborder Passeri (standard taxonomic practice would place them at the rank of infraorder). While more recent research suggests that its sister parvorde ...
.


Fossil record

Fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
remains of true finches are rare, and those that are known can mostly be assigned to extant
genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
at least. Like the other Passeroidea families, the true finches seem to be of roughly
Middle Miocene The Middle Miocene is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages: the Langhian and Serravallian stages. The Middle Miocene is preceded by the Early Miocene. The sub-epoch lasted from 15.97 ± 0.05 Ma to 11.608 ± 0.005 Ma (million ...
origin, around 20 to 10
million years ago The abbreviation Myr, "million years", is a unit of a quantity of (i.e. ) years, or 31.556926 teraseconds. Usage Myr (million years) is in common use in fields such as Earth science and cosmology. Myr is also used with Mya (million years ago ...
(Ma). An unidentifable finch fossil from the
Messinian The Messinian is in the geologic timescale the last age or uppermost stage of the Miocene. It spans the time between 7.246 ± 0.005 Ma and 5.333 ± 0.005 Ma (million years ago). It follows the Tortonian and is followed by the Zanclean, the fi ...
age, around 12 to 7.3
million years ago The abbreviation Myr, "million years", is a unit of a quantity of (i.e. ) years, or 31.556926 teraseconds. Usage Myr (million years) is in common use in fields such as Earth science and cosmology. Myr is also used with Mya (million years ago ...
(Ma) during the
Late Miocene The Late Miocene (also known as Upper Miocene) is a sub-epoch of the Miocene Epoch made up of two stages. The Tortonian and Messinian stages comprise the Late Miocene sub-epoch, which lasted from 11.63 Ma (million years ago) to 5.333 Ma. The ...
subepoch, has been found at Polgárdi in
Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Cr ...
.


Etymology

The
scientific name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bo ...
Fringillidae comes from the
Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
word ''fringilla'' for the common chaffinch (''Fringilla coelebs''), a member of the family which is common in Europe. The name was coined (as Fringilladæ) by the English zoologist
William Elford Leach William Elford Leach FRS (2 February 1791 – 25 August 1836) was an English zoologist and marine biologist. Life and work Elford Leach was born at Hoe Gate, Plymouth, the son of an attorney. At the age of twelve he began a medical appre ...
in a guide to the contents of the
British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...
published in 1820. The name of the author is not specified in the document but Leach was the Keeper of Zoology at the time. The study of this family is known as Fringillology.


Description

The smallest "classical" true finches are the Andean siskin (''Spinus spinescens'') at as little as 9.5 cm (3.8 in) and the lesser goldfinch (''Spinus psaltria'') at as little as . The largest species is probably the collared grosbeak (''Mycerobas affinis'') at up to and , although larger lengths, to in the pine grosbeak (''Pinicola enucleator''), and weights, to in the
evening grosbeak The evening grosbeak (''Hesperiphona vespertina'') is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae found in North America. Taxonomy The IOC checklist and the '' Handbook of the Birds of the World'' place the evening grosbeak and the clo ...
(''Hesperiphona vespertina''), have been recorded in species which are slightly smaller on average.''Finches and Sparrows'' by Peter Clement. Princeton University Press (1999). .''CRC Handbook of Avian Body Masses'' by John B. Dunning Jr. (Editor). CRC Press (1992), . They typically have strong, stubby
beak The beak, bill, or rostrum is an external anatomical structure found mostly in birds, but also in turtles, non-avian dinosaurs and a few mammals. A beak is used for eating, preening, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for fo ...
s, which in some species can be quite large; however,
Hawaiian honeycreeper Hawaiian honeycreepers are a group of small, passerine birds endemic to Hawaii. They are closely related to the rosefinches in the genus ''Carpodacus'', but many species have evolved features unlike those present in any other finch. Their great ...
s are famous for the wide range of bill shapes and sizes brought about by
adaptive radiation In evolutionary biology, adaptive radiation is a process in which organisms diversify rapidly from an ancestral species into a multitude of new forms, particularly when a change in the environment makes new resources available, alters biotic in ...
. All true finches have 9 primary
remiges Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tail ...
and 12
rectrices Flight feathers (''Pennae volatus'') are the long, stiff, asymmetrically shaped, but symmetrically paired pennaceous feathers on the wings or tail of a bird; those on the wings are called remiges (), singular remex (), while those on the tai ...
. The basic
plumage Plumage ( "feather") is a layer of feathers that covers a bird and the pattern, colour, and arrangement of those feathers. The pattern and colours of plumage differ between species and subspecies and may vary with age classes. Within species, ...
colour is brownish, sometimes greenish; many have considerable amounts of black, while white plumage is generally absent except as wing-bars or other signalling marks. Bright yellow and red
carotenoid Carotenoids (), also called tetraterpenoids, are yellow, orange, and red organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, and fungi. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpkins, carrots, parsnips, ...
pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compou ...
s are commonplace in this family, and thus blue
structural colour Structural coloration in animals, and a few plants, is the production of colour by microscopically structured surfaces fine enough to interfere with visible light instead of pigments, although some structural coloration occurs in combination wit ...
s are rather rare, as the yellow pigments turn the blue color into green. Many, but by no means all true finches have strong
sexual dichromatism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where the sexes of the same animal and/or plant species exhibit different morphological characteristics, particularly characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most ani ...
, the females typically lacking the bright carotenoid markings of males.


Distribution and habitat

The finches have a near-global distribution, being found across the Americas, Eurasia and Africa, as well as some island groups such as the Hawaiian islands. They are absent from Australasia, Antarctica, the Southern Pacific and the islands of the Indian Ocean, although some European species have been widely introduced in Australia and New Zealand. Finches are typically inhabitants of well-wooded areas, but some can be found on mountains or even in
desert A desert is a barren area of landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions are hostile for plant and animal life. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About on ...
s.


Behaviour

The finches are primarily granivorous, but euphoniines include considerable amounts of
arthropod Arthropods (, (gen. ποδός)) are invertebrate animals with an exoskeleton, a segmented body, and paired jointed appendages. Arthropods form the phylum Arthropoda. They are distinguished by their jointed limbs and cuticle made of chiti ...
s and
berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, ras ...
in their diet, and Hawaiian honeycreepers evolved to utilize a wide range of food sources, including
nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualist ...
. The diet of Fringillidae nestlings includes a varying amount of small arthropods. True finches have a bouncing flight like most small
passerine A passerine () is any bird of the order Passeriformes (; from Latin 'sparrow' and '-shaped'), which includes more than half of all bird species. Sometimes known as perching birds, passerines are distinguished from other orders of birds by th ...
s, alternating bouts of flapping with gliding on closed wings. Most sing well and several are commonly seen cagebirds; foremost among these is the domesticated
canary Canary originally referred to the island of Gran Canaria on the west coast of Africa, and the group of surrounding islands (the Canary Islands). It may also refer to: Animals Birds * Canaries, birds in the genera '' Serinus'' and ''Crithagra'' ...
(''Serinus canaria domestica''). The nests are basket-shaped and usually built in trees, more rarely in bushes, between rocks or on similar substrate.


List of genera

The family Fringillidae contains 231 species divided into 50 genera and three subfamilies. The subfamily Carduelinae includes 18 extinct Hawaiian honeycreepers and the extinct
Bonin grosbeak The Bonin grosbeak or Bonin Islands grosbeak (''Carpodacus ferreorostris'') is an extinct finch. It is one of the diverse bird taxa that are vernacularly called "grosbeaks", but it is not closely related to the grosbeaks ''sensu stricto''. Man ...
. See List of Fringillidae species for further details. Subfamily Fringillinae * '' Fringilla'' – 3 species of chaffinch and the brambling Subfamily Carduelinae * '' Mycerobas'' – 4 Palearctic grosbeaks * '' Coccothraustes'' – 3 species * '' Eophona'' – 2 oriental grosbeaks, the Chinese and the Japanese grosbeak * '' Pinicola'' – pine grosbeak * '' Pyrrhula'' – 8 bullfinch species * '' Rhodopechys'' – 2 species, the Asian crimson-winged finch and the African crimson-winged finch * '' Bucanetes'' – trumpeter and the Mongolian finch * '' Agraphospiza'' – Blanford's rosefinch * '' Callacanthis'' – spectacled finch * '' Pyrrhoplectes'' – golden-naped finch * '' Procarduelis'' – dark-breasted rosefinch * '' Leucosticte'' – 6 species of mountain and rosy finches * ''
Carpodacus The rosefinches are a genus, ''Carpodacus'', of passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae. Most are called "rosefinches" and as the word implies, have various shades of red in their plumage. The common rosefinch is frequently called the ...
'' – 28
Palearctic The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sib ...
rosefinch species *
Hawaiian honeycreeper Hawaiian honeycreepers are a group of small, passerine birds endemic to Hawaii. They are closely related to the rosefinches in the genus ''Carpodacus'', but many species have evolved features unlike those present in any other finch. Their great ...
group (tribe Drepanidini) **''Melamprosops'' – contains a single extinct species, the po'ouli ** ''
Paroreomyza ''Paroreomyza'' is a genus of Hawaiian honeycreeper in the subfamily Carduelinae of the family Fringillidae. These birds are endemic to Hawaii. Taxonomy ''Paroreomyza'', along with '' Oreomystis'' (although their alliance is disputed), is the ...
'' – 3 species, the Oahu alauahio, the Maui alauahio and the extinct kakawahie ** ''Oreomystis'' – akikiki ** '' Telespiza'' – 4 species, the
Laysan finch The Laysan finch (''Telespiza cantans'') is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper, that is endemic to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. It is one of four remaining finch-billed Hawaiian honeycreepers and is closely related to the smaller Nihoa fin ...
, the Nihoa finch, and 2 prehistoric species ** '' Loxioides'' – 2 species, the palila and a prehistoric species ** '' Rhodacanthis'' – 2 recently extinct species, the
lesser Lesser, from Eliezer (, "Help/Court of my God"), is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Adolf Lesser (1851–1926), German physician * Aleksander Lesser (1814–1884), Polish painter and art critic * Anton Lesser (born 1952), Br ...
and the greater koa finch, and 2 prehistoric species ** ''Chloridops'' – extinct species, the Kona grosbeak ** ''Psittirostra'' – ou ** ''Dysmorodrepanis'' – extinct species, the Lanai hookbill ** ''
Drepanis ''Drepanis'' is a genus of Hawaiian honeycreeper in the subfamily Carduelinae of the family Fringillidae. The birds are endemic to Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western Uni ...
'' – 2 extinct species, the Hawaii mamo and the
black mamo The black mamo (''Drepanis funerea''), also known as the hoa, is an extinct species of bird once endemic to the island of Molokai; there is also subfossil evidence of it having lived on Maui. Description It measured from bill to tail, ...
, and the extant iiwi ** '' Ciridops'' – single recently extinct species, the Ula-ai-hawane, and 3 prehistoric species ** '' Palmeria'' – contains a single species, the akohekohe ** ''
Himatione ''Himatione'' is a genus of Hawaiian honeycreepers in the subfamily Carduelinae of the family Fringillidae. Species It contains the following species: * Laysan honeycreeper (''Himatione fraithii'') (extinct) * ʻApapane The apapane (''Himat ...
'' – 2 species, the apapane and the extinct Laysan honeycreeper ** ''Viridonia'' – single extinct species, the greater amakihi ** '' Akialoa'' – 4 recently extinct species, and 2 prehistoric species ** ''
Hemignathus ''Hemignathus'' is a Hawaiian honeycreeper genus in the subfamily Carduelinae of the finch family, Fringillidae. These birds are endemic to the Hawaiian Islands. Extinctions Many of its species became extinct during the 19th and 20th centuries ...
'' – 4 species, only one of which is extant ** '' Pseudonestor'' – Maui parrotbill ** '' Magumma'' – anianiau ** '' Loxops'' – 5 species, of which one is extinct ** '' Chlorodrepanis'' – 3 species, the
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
,
Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O ...
and Kauai amakihi * '' Haemorhous'' – 3 North America rosefinches * ''
Chloris In Greek mythology, the name Chloris (; Greek Χλωρίς ''Chlōrís'', from χλωρός ''chlōrós'', meaning "greenish-yellow", "pale green", "pale", "pallid", or "fresh") appears in a variety of contexts. Some clearly refer to different char ...
'' – 6 greenfinches * ''
Rhodospiza The desert finch (''Rhodospiza obsoleta''), sometimes called Lichtenstein's desert finch, is a large brown true finch found in southern Eurasia. Its taxonomy is confused, and it has formerly been placed in ''Fringilla'', '' Bucanetes'', ''Card ...
'' – desert finch * '' Rhynchostruthus'' – 3 golden-winged grosbeaks * '' Linurgus'' – oriole finch * '' Crithagra'' – 37 species of canaries, serins and siskins from Africa and the Arabian Peninsula * ''
Linaria ''Linaria'' is a genus of almost 200 species of flowering plants, one of several related groups commonly called toadflax. They are annuals and herbaceous perennials, and the largest genus in the Antirrhineae tribe of the plantain family Plant ...
'' – 4 species including the twite and three linnets * '' Acanthis'' – 3 redpolls * ''
Loxia The crossbill is a genus, ''Loxia'', of birds in the finch family ( Fringillidae), with six species. These birds are characterised by the mandibles with crossed tips, which gives the group its English name. Adult males tend to be red or orange ...
'' – 6 crossbills * '' Chrysocorythus'' – 2 species * '' Carduelis'' – 3 species including the European goldfinch * '' Serinus'' – 8 species including the
European serin The European serin, or simply the serin (''Serinus serinus''), is the smallest European species of the family of finches (Fringillidae) and is closely related to the Atlantic canary. Its diet consists mainly of a combination of buds and seeds. ...
* '' Spinus'' – 20 species including the North American goldfinches and the Eurasian siskin Subfamily Euphoniinae * '' Euphonia'' – 27 species all with euphonia in their English name * '' Chlorophonia'' – 5 species all with chlorophonia in their English name


Gallery

File:Coccothraustes coccothraustes 1 (Marek Szczepanek).jpg, Hawfinch (''Coccothraustes coccothraustes''), one of the
Holarctic The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical reg ...
grosbeaks File:Cassin's Finch (male).jpg, Cassin's finch (''Haemorhous cassinii''), an American rosefinch File:Carpodacus roseus.jpg, Pallas' rosefinch (''Carpodacus roseus''), a true rosefinch File:PINTASSILGO ( Carduelis magellanica ).jpg, Hooded siskin (''Spinus magellanicus'') File:Vestiaria coccinea -Hawaii -adult-8 (4).jpg,
ʻIʻiwi The iiwi (''Drepanis coccinea'', pronounced , ''ee-EE-vee'') or scarlet honeycreeper is a species of Hawaiian honeycreeper. The iiwi is a highly recognizable symbol of Hawaii. The iiwi is the third most common native land bird in the Hawaiian I ...
(''Drepanis coccinea''), a
Hawaiian honeycreeper Hawaiian honeycreepers are a group of small, passerine birds endemic to Hawaii. They are closely related to the rosefinches in the genus ''Carpodacus'', but many species have evolved features unlike those present in any other finch. Their great ...
File:Euphonia violacea-2.jpg, Male violaceous euphonia (''Euphonia violacea'') File:Carduelis carduelis close up.jpg, European goldfinch (''Carduelis carduelis'') File:Chloris chloris.jpg,
European greenfinch The European greenfinch or simply the greenfinch (''Chloris chloris'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. This bird is widespread throughout Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia. It is mainly resident, but some n ...
(''Chloris chloris'') File:Pinzón azul de Gran Canaria (macho), M. A. Peña.jpg, Gran Canaria blue chaffinch (''Fringilla polatzeki'') File:Teidefink.jpg, Tenerife blue chaffinch (''Fringilla teydea'') File:Euphonia elegantissima.jpg, Elegant euphonia (''Euphonia elegantissima'') File:Desert Finch - Uzbekistan S4E7626-2 (23039952955).jpg, Desert finch (''Rhodospiza obsoleta'') File:Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) (13667564073).jpg, Pine grosbeak (''Pinicola enucleator'') File:Hesperiphona vespertina CT3.jpg,
Evening grosbeak The evening grosbeak (''Hesperiphona vespertina'') is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae found in North America. Taxonomy The IOC checklist and the '' Handbook of the Birds of the World'' place the evening grosbeak and the clo ...
(''Hesperiphona vespertina'') File:Chloris spinoides.jpg,
Yellow-breasted greenfinch The yellow-breasted greenfinch (''Chloris spinoides'') is a small passerine bird in the family Fringillidae that is native to the northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. Taxonomy The yellow-breasted greenfinch was described by the Iris ...
(''Chloris spinoides'') File:Serinus flaviventris 2013 03 09.jpg,
Yellow canary The yellow canary (''Crithagra flaviventris'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is a resident breeder in much of the western and central regions of southern Africa and has been introduced to Ascension and St Helena islands. T ...
(''Crithagra flaviventris'') File:Streaky Seedeater, Ngorongoro Crater (8495906768).jpg, Streaky seedeater (''Crithagra striolata'') File:Fringilla coelebs moreletti.png, Azores chaffinch (''Fringilla coelebs moreletti'')


See also

*
The Finch Society of Australia The Finch Society of Australia Inc. is an established organisation designed as a forum to connect "finch fanciers". The society is a part of the animal fancy movement, supporting and promoting animal welfare. The Finch Society of Australia is more ...


References


Sources

* Clement, Peter; Harris, Alan & Davis, John (1993): ''Finches and Sparrows: an identification guide''.
Christopher Helm Christopher Alexander Roger Helm (born Dundee, 1 February 1937 – 20 January 2007) was a Scottish book publisher, notably of ornithology related titles, including the '' Helm Identification Guides''. Born in Dundee, he was raised in Forfar ...
, London. * * * * Newton, Ian (1973): ''Finches'' (New Naturalist series). Taplinger Publishing.


External links


Internet Bird Collection.com: Finch videos, photos, and soundsNational Finch and Softbill Society website
— ''organization promoting finch breeding''. * {{Authority control Miocene birds Quaternary birds Extant Miocene first appearances Taxa named by William Elford Leach