South · Central Flyway
Finches in Texas
Finches in Texas come down to 9 species with regular eBird records, led by the House Finch. Together they account for 805,386 of the 35 million eBird records from 2020–2024 — 2.3% of everything reported in the state.
The full list: House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Purple Finch, Cassin's Finch, American Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak and Pine Grosbeak. 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 Texas: 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) — 397,940 records, 1.1% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
2. Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) — 192,000 records, 0.5% of the state’s eBird total; a year-round resident, reported in every month.
3. American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) — 140,598 records, 0.4% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in February.
4. Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus) — 65,170 records, 0.2% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to April and peaking in February.
5. Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus) — 6,977 records, 0.02% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from December to March and peaking in February.
6. Cassin's Finch (Haemorhous cassinii) — 1,265 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from October to April and peaking in November.
7. American Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) — 1,008 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a winter visitor, present mainly from November to March and peaking in December.
8. Evening Grosbeak (Hesperiphona vespertina) — 287 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in March, October, November and December with a peak in November.
9. Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator) — 141 records, 0.00% of the state’s eBird total; a passage migrant, reported mainly in December with a peak in December.
When to see finches in Texas
Adding up every species’ share of state eBird records month by month, finches are most prominent in February, August and June and least in April and November. 2 of the 9 species are year-round — House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch — so there is no month without them.
Winter visitors. American Goldfinch arrives around November and leaves after March (peak February); Pine Siskin arrives around November and leaves after April (peak February); Purple Finch arrives around December and leaves after March (peak February); Cassin's Finch arrives around October and leaves after April (peak November); American Crossbill arrives around November and leaves after March (peak December).
Passage migrants. Evening Grosbeak is reported mainly in March, October, November and December; Pine Grosbeak is reported mainly in December.
Attracting finches to Texas 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 Texas 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 Texas: FAQ
How many species of finches are there in Texas?
9 species of finches have regular eBird records in Texas (at least 25 records in 2020–2024): House Finch, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Pine Siskin, Purple Finch, Cassin's Finch, American Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak and Pine Grosbeak.
What is the most common finch in Texas?
The House Finch, with 397,940 eBird records in 2020–2024, followed by the Lesser Goldfinch with 192,000. It is a year-round resident, reported in every month.
When is the best time to see finches in Texas?
February, August and June, when the combined share of Texas eBird records belonging to finches is highest. Winter visitors such as the American Goldfinch arrive around November.
More birds in Texas
Finches in other states
Finches in Texas: 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: Texas 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.