Identifying Female FINCHES From Male FINCHES

Male Zebra Finch (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Finches come in various types and are actually quite common species in North America. They are a favorite among pet owners, bird lovers, and enthusiasts because of their beautiful songs and varied colors. Finches are small birds now commonly found in households, residential areas, and their natural habitats. They usually settle in woods, deserts, and meadows.

Many people find it hard to determine female finches from male finches. But each one actually has telling characteristics that would make the task of identifying their sex fairly easy.

One of the ways to tell one from the other is their coloring. The male finch, as with many other species of birds, has more colors and/or more vivid colors than the female. Looking at their colors by far is the easiest way to differentiate between the two. The color pattern, however, depends on the type of finch. For instance, the male house finch which is common in areas of North America has brown flanks and a bright reddish-orange breast and head while the female house finch's entire body has varying shades of brown. 

Other male house finches may be of yellow-orange markings instead of red. The Cassin's Finch, the Pine Grosbeak, and the Purple finch have the same reddish coloring. American goldfinches are of black and yellow coloring. They can be found in most parts of the United States and North America.

Female finches do not sing. They simply make clicking or warning sounds. Probably because they are the more protective ones when it comes to guarding their eggs and therefore have to use sounds to ward off the potential danger that may harm her babies. Male finches are the singers and sing their songs during courtship. The male house finch sing songs made up of short notes with no apparent melody or pattern. There are some male house finches that sing throughout the year. The female house finch can at times sing but their song is shorter. Other types of finches such as the male Purple finch sing many songs which include a territorial song and a warbling song. The female house finch sings a very unique nest song.

The American goldfinch sings a lot in the spring. While in flight, female and male partners usually sing together although males still do most of the singing. The female oftentimes gives out a call when her partner male finch approaches her with food for their baby birds.

Male and female finches are mostly the same size; although a male, due to its more vivid coloring, may appear much larger than the female. The male finches also puff up their feathers during courtship to appear even larger and therefore more attractive.

While a good number of finches is easy to identify merely by looking and listening to them, other finches are simply hard to identify without the assistance of an avian veterinarian or a seasoned breeder. Finches such as the Society finch are difficult to identify as male or female. Finches such as the Gouldian finch, White Zebra finch, and Green Singing finch can easily be visually identified.

Grace Hutchings is a World Class Finch Fanatic who loves finches. To learn more about finch biology please go to http://www.petfinchadvice.com. Article Source: EzineArticles

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