West · Pacific Flyway
Finches in Arizona
Finches in Arizona come down to 9 species with regular eBird records, led by the House Finch. Together they account for 1,174,517 of the 20 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 5.8% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Cassin's Finch, American Crossbill, Lawrence's Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Evening Grosbeak and Purple Finch. Finches are the seed specialists of the feeder: goldfinches, House Finches, siskins, grosbeaks, and crossbills. Some are among the most common backyard birds; others are irruptive, appearing in large numbers one winter and vanishing the next.
Finches in Arizona: every species, most-reported first
Every finch with at least 25 eBird records in the state from 2020–2024, most-reported first. The status label is derived from each species’ own monthly share of all state records.
1. House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) — 603,073 records, 3.0% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) — 442,967 records, 2.2% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) — 77,289 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to June and peaking in April.
4. Cassin's Finch (Haemorhous cassinii) — 17,503 records, 0.09% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to May and peaking in April.
5. American Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) — 12,332 records, 0.06% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
6. Lawrence's Goldfinch (Spinus lawrencei) — 11,738 records, 0.06% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to March and peaking in October.
7. American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) — 5,397 records, 0.03% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to May and peaking in January.
8. Evening Grosbeak (Hesperiphona vespertina) — 3,940 records, 0.02% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to May and peaking in April.
9. Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) — 278 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to January and peaking in January.
When to see finches in Arizona
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, finches are most prominent in March, February and April and least in September and June. 3 of the 9 species are year-round — House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and American Crossbill — so there is no month without them.
Winter visitors. Pine Siskin arrives around October and leaves after June (peak April); Cassin's Finch arrives around October and leaves after May (peak April); Lawrence's Goldfinch arrives around October and leaves after March (peak October); American Goldfinch arrives around November and leaves after May (peak January); Evening Grosbeak arrives around October and leaves after May (peak April); Purple Finch arrives around November and leaves after January (peak January).
Attracting finches to Arizona backyards
Nyjer (thistle) in a mesh or tube feeder for the small finches, black-oil sunflower for the larger ones. Keep feeders clean and dry — finches are especially prone to eye disease spread at dirty feeders.
In Arizona the finch most likely to turn up is the House Finch, a year-round resident, followed by the Lesser Goldfinch. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Finches in Arizona: FAQ
How many species of finches are there in Arizona?
9 species of finches have regular eBird records in Arizona (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Cassin's Finch, American Crossbill, Lawrence's Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Evening Grosbeak and Purple Finch.
What is the most common finch in Arizona?
The House Finch, with 603,073 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Lesser Goldfinch with 442,967. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see finches in Arizona?
March, February and April, when the combined share of Arizona eBird records belonging to finches is highest. Winter visitors such as the Pine Siskin arrive around October.
More birds in Arizona
Finches in other states
Finches in Arizona: sources
Every number on this page comes from the EOD – eBird Observation Dataset published by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and distributed through GBIF under a CC BY 4.0 license: Arizona records from 2020–2024, retrieved 2026-09-18. Species are drawn from the families Fringillidae; only species with at least 25 records are listed, and a species is called a year-round resident when its monthly share of state records stays above 30% of its own peak in ten or more months. “Records” are individual eBird observations, so they reflect how often birders report a species, not a population count.