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DictionaryfinchSeed-eating songbird
noun

finch

FINCH/fɪntʃ/

A small seed-eating songbird with a short beak.

The finch perches beside two seeds.

Small house finch perches beside two seeds, stout short conical bill and realistic brown streaked body with muted red male forehead/breast; natural ink ornithological portrait on white.
Etymology
finchOld Englishfinch

Old English finc already named the bird. The ancestral name may have imitated its call, so its possible original image is a sound rather than the bird’s seed-eating habits or bill shape.

In context

Science ABC6:28
the birds with longer beaks could survive on insects, whereas those with blunter beaks fed on seeds and leaves. Over many generations, evolution took over and 15 different finch species evolved.
Darwin's theory of Evolution: A REALLY SIMPLE and Brief Explanation

More examples

  • Several finches gathered at the feeder.
  • She watched a yellow finch perch on the branch.
  • The guide helped us identify the finch by its markings.

Forms

finch · finches

Similar words

sparrow
A different small seed-eating bird with a similar overall build.