Finches

Because they are attractive and often abundant birds, are easy to feed, and usually sing well, species of finches have long been kept as cagebirds. The most famous of the pet finches is, of course, the canary, but goldfinches and other species are also commonly kept, particularly in Europe. The canary is available in a wide variety of plumages, postures, and song types, all of which have been selectively bred from wild-type birds to achieve some aesthetic goal, which as often as not is focused on the development of birds that are "different" and unusual. The most commonly kept variety of canary is colored bright yellow, and has a richly cheerful, melodic song.

Species of cardueline finches are among the more common species of birds that visit seed-bearing feeders. This is particularly true during the wintertime, when natural seeds can be difficult to find, because they are hidden under accumulated snow. Most of the finches of North America will visit feeders, but their abundance can vary tremendously from week to week and from year to year, depending on the regional availability of wild foods, and also on the weather.

Bird feeding has a rather substantial economic impact. Each year, millions of dollars are spent by North American homeowners to purchase and provision backyard feeders. This money is rather well-spent, in view of the aesthetic pleasures of luring finches and other wild birds close to the home, while also helping these attractive, native species of wildlife to survive their toughest time of the year.

A few species of finches are considered to be agricultural pests. The bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) of Eurasia can be especially important, because it eats the buds of fruit trees, and can cause considerable damages in orchards in some places within its range.

Some finches have become rare and endangered because of changes that humans have caused to their habitats.