West · Pacific Flyway
Finches in Oregon
Finches in Oregon come down to 14 species with regular eBird records, led by the House Finch. Together they account for 956,820 of the 17 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 5.7% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Purple Finch, American Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak, Cassin's Finch, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Common Redpoll, Pine Grosbeak, White-winged Crossbill, Black Rosy-Finch and Lawrence's Goldfinch. 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 Oregon: 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) — 283,626 records, 1.7% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) — 198,869 records, 1.2% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) — 169,548 records, 1.0% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to December and peaking in July.
4. Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) — 119,091 records, 0.7% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
5. Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) — 77,867 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from March to September and peaking in April.
6. American Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) — 42,557 records, 0.3% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from May to December and peaking in August.
7. Evening Grosbeak (Hesperiphona vespertina) — 38,739 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to October and peaking in May.
8. Cassin's Finch (Haemorhous cassinii) — 23,369 records, 0.1% of the state’s eBird total; a summer visitor, present mainly from April to October and peaking in June.
9. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte tephrocotis) — 1,237 records, 0.01% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from July to July and peaking in December.
10. Common Redpoll (Acanthis flammea) — 714 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to January and peaking in January.
11. Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) — 671 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in February, November and December with a peak in November.
12. White-winged Crossbill (Loxia leucoptera) — 320 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to February and peaking in November.
The remaining 2 species — Black Rosy-Finch and Lawrence's Goldfinch — are recorded regularly but in smaller numbers; see the cards above for their status.
When to see finches in Oregon
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, finches are most prominent in July, April and August and least in January and February. 3 of the 14 species are year-round — House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch and Pine Siskin — so there is no month without them.
Summer visitors. American Goldfinch arrives around April and is mostly gone after December (peak July); Purple Finch arrives around March and is mostly gone after September (peak April); American Crossbill arrives around May and is mostly gone after December (peak August); Evening Grosbeak arrives around April and is mostly gone after October (peak May); Cassin's Finch arrives around April and is mostly gone after October (peak June).
Winter visitors. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch arrives around July and leaves after July (peak December); Common Redpoll arrives around November and leaves after January (peak January); White-winged Crossbill arrives around November and leaves after February (peak November).
Passage migrants. Pine Grosbeak is reported mainly in February, November and December; Black Rosy-Finch is reported mainly in July, August and September; Lawrence's Goldfinch is reported mainly in January and March.
Attracting finches to Oregon 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 Oregon 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 Oregon: FAQ
How many species of finches are there in Oregon?
14 species of finches have regular eBird records in Oregon (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Purple Finch, American Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak, Cassin's Finch, Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch, Common Redpoll, Pine Grosbeak, White-winged Crossbill, Black Rosy-Finch and Lawrence's Goldfinch.
What is the most common finch in Oregon?
The House Finch, with 283,626 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Lesser Goldfinch with 198,869. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see finches in Oregon?
July, April and August, when the combined share of Oregon eBird records belonging to finches is highest. Summer visitors such as the American Goldfinch arrive around April. Winter visitors such as the Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch arrive around July.
More birds in Oregon
Finches in other states
Finches in Oregon: 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: Oregon 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.