West · Pacific Flyway
Finches in California
Finches in California come down to 14 species with regular eBird records, led by the House Finch. Together they account for 3,371,413 of the 62 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 5.4% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, Lawrence's Goldfinch, Cassin's Finch, American Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Pine Grosbeak, European Goldfinch, Brambling and Common Redpoll. 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 California: 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) — 1,686,954 records, 2.7% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) — 1,065,858 records, 1.7% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) — 229,700 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
4. Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) — 151,494 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
5. Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) — 130,783 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
6. Lawrence's Goldfinch (Spinus lawrencei) — 44,768 records, 0.07% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from February to July and peaking in April.
7. Cassin's Finch (Haemorhous cassinii) — 30,173 records, 0.05% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to July and peaking in June.
8. American Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) — 18,401 records, 0.03% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
9. Evening Grosbeak (Hesperiphona vespertina) — 9,738 records, 0.02% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to August and peaking in June.
10. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte tephrocotis) — 1,715 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from June to August and peaking in July.
11. Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) — 1,262 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from June to August and peaking in July.
12. European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) — 268 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
The remaining 2 species — Brambling and Common Redpoll — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see finches in California
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, finches are most prominent in June, July and May and least in January and December. 7 of the 14 species are year-round — House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin and American Crossbill and 1 more — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Lawrence's Goldfinch arrives around February and is mostly gone after July (peak April); Cassin's Finch arrives around May and is mostly gone after July (peak June); Evening Grosbeak arrives around April and is mostly gone after August (peak June); Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch arrives around June and is mostly gone after August (peak July); Pine Grosbeak arrives around June and is mostly gone after August (peak July).
Winter visitors. Brambling arrives around December and leaves after March (peak February); Common Redpoll arrives around December and leaves after January (peak December).
Attracting finches to California 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 California 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 California: FAQ
How many species of finches are there in California?
14 species of finches have regular eBird records in California (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Purple Finch, Pine Siskin, Lawrence's Goldfinch, Cassin's Finch, American Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Pine Grosbeak, European Goldfinch, Brambling and Common Redpoll.
What is the most common finch in California?
The House Finch, with 1,686,954 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Lesser Goldfinch with 1,065,858. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see finches in California?
June, July and May, when the combined share of California eBird records belonging to finches is highest. Summer visitors such as the Lawrence's Goldfinch arrive around February. Winter visitors such as the Brambling arrive around December.
More birds in California
Finches in other states
Finches in California: 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: California 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.