Finches are a type of songbird. They’re divided in 4 subfamilies that have more than 40 genera. They can be found all over the world, except in Australia. The majority of finches are found in the Northern hemisphere. Take a look below for 24 more interesting and weird facts about finches.

1. Finches primarily inhabit deciduous and evergreen forests, tropical and subarctic areas, mountains and desert.

2. They make very popular pets because of their small size and the ability to produce beautiful songs.

3. On average, finches reach length between 3 and 6 inches. They tend to weigh between 0.35 and 1.2 ounces.

4. They have brownish or greenish bodies that are covered with black, yellow and red feathers. Male finches are more vividly colored than females.

5. The male house finch has a red colored head and breasts. Their red color comes from the pigments in the food that they eat.

6. Female finches tend to prefer to mate with red males, because their red colored head means that the male can provide the type of food that the female is looking for.

7. The yellow colored head on a house finch is a sign of stress or an inadequate diet.

8. Finches can have small triangular beaks, thick rounded beaks or beaks with crossed tips. Their beak varies on the species and the type of diet they eat.

9. They’re herbivores, which means that they’re plant eaters. Their diet consists of different types of seeds, buds and fruit.

10. Darwin proposed his theory of evolution by watching and examining finches on the Galapagos Islands. Darwin noticed that 14 species of Galapagos finches have common ancestors that arrived on the Galapagos Islands millions of years ago. One particular type of finch evolved into 14 different types of birds as a result of adaptation to different types of food and habitats.

11. They’re gregarious birds that live in large flocks, which are known as “charms.” They communicate through various songs.

12. They’re known to be sedentary birds, with some species being partially migratory.

13. Finches build basket shaped nests in trees, bushes or in crevices of rocks.

14. They lay between 2 and 6 pale blue eggs that hatch after being incubated for 13 to 14 days.

15. They reach sexual maturity between the ages of 9 and 12 months.

16. Finch chicks are born naked, blind and helpless at birth. They usually stay in their nest during the first 2 to 3 weeks of their life.

17. House finches are often kept as pets. They have a hard time adapting to life near humans, that’s why most owners will avoid physical contact.

18. House finches required the presence of other finches in order to stay healthy both physically and mentally.

19. Wild finches can live between 4 and 7 years, while captive finches usually live for 20 years due to their better living conditions.

20. While finches tend to vocalize as much as any other type of caged pet birds, they have tiny voices that don’t carry as far as larger birds, like parrots.

21. Before the mating season begins, the male finch will dance on branches of trees to impress the female finch. They push up their plumage to make their dance more attractive.

22. Finch offspring will have black beaks when they’re very young, but it will change to a bright red or orange color after 1 months.

23. When they breed and have eggs in the nest, male finches will become very protective over the nest.

24. Finches are quick to adapt to new surroundings, but they’re very fond of being in open areas with grasses and bushes.