West · Central Flyway
Finches in Colorado
Finches in Colorado come down to 16 species with regular eBird records, led by the House Finch. Together they account for 1,020,300 of the 16 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 6.3% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: House Finch, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Cassin's Finch, American Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Grosbeak, Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Black Rosy-Finch, Common Redpoll, White-winged Crossbill, Purple Finch, Brambling and Cassia Crossbill. 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 Colorado: 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) — 493,433 records, 3.0% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) — 209,037 records, 1.3% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) — 105,223 records, 0.6% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
4. Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) — 97,003 records, 0.6% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from June to October and peaking in August.
5. Cassin's Finch (Haemorhous cassinii) — 36,484 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
6. American Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) — 28,783 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from January to October and peaking in July.
7. Evening Grosbeak (Hesperiphona vespertina) — 25,745 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
8. Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) — 8,808 records, 0.05% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
9. Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte australis) — 7,318 records, 0.04% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
10. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte tephrocotis) — 4,422 records, 0.03% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from December to March and peaking in February.
11. Black Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte atrata) — 2,383 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from December to April and peaking in January.
12. Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea) — 753 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to February and peaking in January.
The remaining 4 species — White-winged Crossbill, Purple Finch, Brambling and Cassia Crossbill — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see finches in Colorado
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, finches are most prominent in February, August and July and least in April and May. 7 of the 16 species are year-round — House Finch, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Cassin's Finch, Evening Grosbeak and Pine Grosbeak and 1 more — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. Lesser Goldfinch arrives around June and is mostly gone after October (peak August); American Crossbill arrives around January and is mostly gone after October (peak July).
Winter visitors. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch arrives around December and leaves after March (peak February); Black Rosy-Finch arrives around December and leaves after April (peak January); Common Redpoll arrives around November and leaves after February (peak January); White-winged Crossbill arrives around July and leaves after August (peak December).
Passage migrants. Purple Finch is reported mainly in March, October and November; Brambling is reported mainly in January; Cassia Crossbill is reported mainly in July and August.
Attracting finches to Colorado 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 Colorado the finch most likely to turn up is the House Finch, a year-round resident, followed by the American Goldfinch. Its own page covers month-by-month activity and attraction tips for this state.
Finches in Colorado: FAQ
How many species of finches are there in Colorado?
16 species of finches have regular eBird records in Colorado (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): House Finch, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, Cassin's Finch, American Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak, Pine Grosbeak, Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Black Rosy-Finch, Common Redpoll, White-winged Crossbill, Purple Finch, Brambling and Cassia Crossbill.
What is the most common finch in Colorado?
The House Finch, with 493,433 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the American Goldfinch with 209,037. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see finches in Colorado?
February, August and July, when the combined share of Colorado eBird records belonging to finches is highest. Summer visitors such as the Lesser Goldfinch arrive around June. Winter visitors such as the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch arrive around December.
More birds in Colorado
Finches in other states
Finches in Colorado: 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: Colorado 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.