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finch

finch

39 1.6
A small bird with a short thick beak that eats seeds
  • noun
  • /fɪntʃ/
translation icon : pinzón
  • As they spread across the continent, house finches faced an array of diverse new climates and habitats.
  • zebra finches
  • a house finch
  • female finches

This is a photograph of a Gouldian Finch chick.

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Examples

  • I tried that a couple of times, with finches, and they always died.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Exemplars of rapid adaptation, house finches show that mothers know best.

    Academic text (2002)
  • I painted a gold finch this week.

  • OK, my next one, more saffron Finch, which I like.

  • This is a photograph of a Gouldian Finch chick.

  • If exposed to the pathogen, the finches in the western population would be highly vulnerable.

    Academic text (2002)
  • However, when I considered the distributions of all those finch species simultaneously, a striking pattern emerged.

    Academic text (1990)
  • I have to say it's a little fancy, but this is a male and a female of each of the species of finches from the Galapagos.

  • Like Darwin's finches, we are slowly adapting to our environment.

  • I saw a bright yellow finch perched on the tree outside my window.

Synonyms

bird
vsfinch
1.0

A warm-blooded animal with feathers, wings, and a beak that usually flies

is a narrow small feathered species with a stout bill for eating seeds
birdy
vsfinch
  • Baby Talk
21 7.9

A small bird often named by children

is the neutral scientific term for the small seed-eating species, not childish
songbird
vsfinch
  • Specialized
17 2.3

A small bird, like a canary, that makes pleasant musical sounds

is a specific small seed-eating type rather than the broad musical group
canary
vsfinch
14 2.1

A small bright yellow songbird often kept as a pet for its singing

is known mainly for a stout seed-cracking bill rather than for singing
house finch
vsfinch
  • US
1 6.8

A small North American bird with brown or gray feathers and red on the male's head and breast

is mainly about a short stout bill for seed eating rather than color
canary bird
vsfinch
1 1.3

A small yellow songbird often kept as a pet for its singing

is mainly a short stout-billed seed eater, not kept for singing
zebra finch
vsfinch
  • Australian
1 5.6

A small Australian songbird with black and white stripes often kept as a pet

is defined by a short stout bill for cracking seeds rather than markings
bullfinch
vsfinch
  • UK
1 8.6

A small bird in Europe with black and white feathers and a bright red breast

is focused on a short stout bill for eating seeds, not color
spink
vsfinch
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A small songbird like a chaffinch that sings cheerfully

is the modern biological name for the living small songbird species
dickybird
vsfinch
  • Archaic
1 9.6

A small bird people talk about to children

is the standard neutral term for the small seed-eating species, not a playful name
Poephila castanotis
vsfinch
  • Australian
9.9

A small Australian finch with black-and-white markings like a zebra

is the general small songbird with a short stout bill for eating seeds
siskin
vsfinch
  • UK
9.9

A small yellow and black bird with a thin pointed beak that eats seeds

is described by a short stout bill for cracking seeds, not a slender beak
pine finch
vsfinch
  • US
9.2

A small finch that lives in pine forests and eats seeds

is the general short stout-billed small songbird not limited to conifer habitat
Java finch
vsfinch
7.9

A small bird from Indonesia that lives in rice fields and is often kept as a pet

is primarily a short stout-billed seed eater rather than a nest-weaving weaver
weaver finch
vsfinch
8.4

A small African or Asian bird that makes complex nests from grass and twigs and lives in groups

is a solitary or non-colony seed eater with a stout bill, not a weaver
Java sparrow
vsfinch
6.6

A small bird like a finch with a thick pink beak and black head that lives in rice fields

is defined by a short stout bill specialized for cracking seeds, not rice field habits
indigo finch
vsfinch
  • US
7.9

A small North American songbird with deep blue feathers

is mainly the short stout-billed seed eater, not focused on bright coloration

Compounds

1 6.8

A small North American bird with brown or gray feathers and red on the male's head and breast

zebra finch
  • Australian
1 5.6

A small Australian songbird with black and white stripes often kept as a pet

4.8

A small North American songbird that sings in the evening

grass finch
  • Australian
8.3

A small bright Australian songbird often kept in cages

7.9

A small North American songbird with deep blue feathers

A small bird from Indonesia that lives in rice fields and is often kept as a pet

purple finch
  • Specialized
6.0

A small North American bird with males that have red heads and females with brown streaks

9.2

A small finch that lives in pine forests and eats seeds

A small African or Asian bird that makes complex nests from grass and twigs and lives in groups

How Small

wren
5 2.2
finch
39 1.6
sparrow
38 1.0
robin
  • UK
9 1.0
thrush
4 3.6

Surface Forms

finch singular
finches plural

Etymology

Finch goes back to an old German word finc and is still like German Fink and Dutch vink, all names for the same 'small songbird'. That's why finch still means the little, seed-eating bird with a short, strong beak.