Definition of finch
:any of numerous passerine songbirds (families Fringillidae, Estrildidae, Emberizidae, and Cardinalidae) having a short stout usually conical bill adapted for crushing seeds
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Recent Examples of finch from the Web
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For migration seasons throughout the centuries, warblers, thrushes, finches and more than 100 other species of birds have blanketed the skies along the shores of Lake Superior and Lake Michigan, down what's called the Mississippi Flyway.
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Birders frequently flock to Lake Apopka to see cuckoos and cranes, flycatchers and finches, ducks and doves.
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Workers discovered the cages were filled with ducklings, quail, parakeets, bunnies, love birds, chickens, roosters and finches.
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Some female finches use white feathers to line their nest, perhaps to camouflage white eggs.
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Now another group of finch-like birds has provided a similar example, but of a different kind of evolution, one driven not by the demands of the environment, but by the demands of female birds.
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In our yard in western Alabama were dozens of doves, hundreds of finches, an abundance of blue jays.
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Birders also heard the avian operas of house finches, calls of northern flickers, trills of red-winged blackbirds.
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Smaller birds, including finches, also love the taste of sweet blossoms.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'finch.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of finch
Middle English, from Old English finc; akin to Old High German fincho finch and perhaps to Greek spiza chaffinch
FINCH Defined for English Language Learners
finch
play
noun
Definition of finch for English Language Learners
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: a small bird with a short, thick beak
FINCH Defined for Kids
finch
play
noun
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ˈfinch
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Definition of finch for Students
:a songbird (as a sparrow, bunting, or canary) with a short bill used for eating seeds
Learn More about finch
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See words that rhyme with finch Spanish Central: Translation of finch Nglish: Translation of finch for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about finch
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