Finches

The common canary or wild serin (Serinus canaria) is a famous songster, native to the Azores, Madeira, and Canary Islands off northwestern Africa. Wild birds have a gray-olive, streaked back, and a yellowish face and breast. However, this species has been domesticated, is available in a wide range of colors, and is commonly kept as a singing cagebird.

The European goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) is a common and widespread species in Europe, western Asia, and northern Africa. This red-faced bird is much-loved in Europe, and as a result several attempts were made by homesick European immigrants to introduce the species to North America. These introductions failed, which is probably just as well, because this species might have caused ecological damages by competing with native species of finches. The European greenfinch (Carduelis chloris) is another closely related species that is also widespread in Europe. Both of these finches are commonly kept as cagebirds.

The hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes) is a widespread Eurasian species. The hawfinch has a large beak, used for crushing large, hard fruits of trees.