Finches and Buntings
From sociable finches to colorful buntings, these beautiful backyard birds can be seen across North America. Learn about the types of finches and buntings you can spot in your area, and find out how to attract them.
How to Attract More Goldfinches to Your Backyard
Get tips on how to attract goldfinches to your backyard. Learn what goldfinches eat from feeders and what flowers to plant in your garden.
Meet the Pyrrhuloxia: Desert Cardinal of the Southwest
Learn all about the pyrrhuloxia, or desert cardinal, a bird found in the Southwest. Experts describe what this species looks...
The Best Cardinal Bird Feeders and Birdseed
Cardinals are beloved backyard birds. To attract more cardinals, fill tube and platform bird feeders with their favorite types of...
Evening Grosbeaks Are Special Winter Visitors
In winter, yellow evening grosbeaks wander in flocks. Their travels are unpredictable, but they may show up at bird feeders...
5 Grosbeaks Backyard Birders Should Know
Learn how to identify five species of grosbeaks in North America. Look for these large, colorful, eye-catching birds at your...
Head Up North to See Pine Grosbeaks
Pine grosbeaks are a common species in Canada's boreal forests and the western mountains. This tame oversized finch adds color...
Get Ready for Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks
Learn what male, female and juvenile rose-breasted grosbeaks look like, what their song sounds like, what they eat and about...
Go West to See Black-Headed Grosbeaks
If it's spring in the west, fill a feeder with sunflower seeds and you may soon discover a pair of...
How to Attract and Identify Purple Finches
Attracting a purple finch is easy with the right food, but identifying them can be tricky! Here's the best way...
Birding Basics: Interesting Facts About Cardinals
Add a splash of red to your backyard. Learn facts about northern cardinals, including what cardinals look like and what...
Do Cardinals Mate for Life?
We asked our birding experts if male and female cardinals mate for life and how they keep their bond through...
Irruption Alert: Look for Evening Grosbeaks at Bird Feeders
Backyard birders should watch for evening grosbeaks in winter 2020. The annual finch forecast also reveals other species you might...
What Does a Cardinal’s Call Sound Like?
Northern cardinals are one of the few bird species with both male and female singers. Learn what a cardinal call...
House Finches and Purple Finches: How to Tell the Difference
House finches and purple finches look very similar. Birding experts explain how backyard birders can identify these finches.
How to Attract and Identify Pine Siskins
When pine siskins visit backyards, they come in droves. These hungry and feisty finches love fresh thistle seeds and black-oil...
All About Painted Buntings
You have to see this prismatic feeder bird to believe it.
Meet the Towhees: The Birds Scratching Up a Storm in your Backyard
Look down! That noise under your shrubs is a shy, ground-feeding towhee in search of its next meal.
Meet the 3 Kinds of Goldfinches in the United States
In the United States, there are three species of goldfinches. Learn what they look like and where to find them.
In Search of a Painted Bunting
Painted Buntings make just about every birder's life list. My quest to see one was easier than I thought -...
Learn to Identify and Attract Indigo Buntings
The indigo bunting is one of the most gorgeous summer birds in the East. Learn proven tips to attract indigo...
Spotted Towhee
Once grouped with its eastern counterpart in a species called the rufous-sided towhee, the Spotted Towhee now has its own...
Scarlet Tanager
The Scarlet Tanager devours many destructive caterpillars and wood-boring beetles, most often but not exclusively in oaks.
Purple Finch
In late summer, the Purple Finch begins to molt, and in winter plumage, a male’s reddish areas appear frosted. With...
Pine Siskin
Prone to irruptions in wintertime, Pine Siskins are cute little nomads whose range spans throughout the United States and Canada....
Northern Cardinal
Unlike members of most avian species, both male and female Northern cardinals sing. Pairs make a habit of counter-singing, where...
Indigo Bunting
During the breeding season, pairs of Indigo Buntings and other avian species often feed and bathe separately. It may help...
House Finch
A western species until the 1940s, the House Finch was introduced to the East Coast by an unethical pet dealer....
Eastern Towhee
When you’re watching for this songbird, look out below. The Eastern Towhee spends most of its time on the ground,...
American Goldfinch
The American Goldfinch is one of the last songbirds to breed each summer. By the time they have young in...