Greenfinches are gorgeous, vibrant greenfinches that live predominantly in the UK. They can be seen year-round, and the males are the brightest in color.
Greenfinches are friendly with other birds and will happily make themselves at home in your garden if they have the right environment.
Learn how to attract greenfinches to your garden – and how to encourage them to stick around for a while – below!
Table of Contents
What Do Greenfinches Look Like?
Greenfinches are bright green passerine birds that are roughly the size of a sparrow.
The males are a brighter green than the females, as is typical among birds (the more colorful the male, the more attractive female birds will find them).
Like all finches, greenfinches have big, chunky beaks. They use these to break overlarge seeds (such as peanuts) up into small pieces, which they can then swallow!
When feeding, greenfinches are known to be very friendly and gregarious. They are perfectly content to feed among other good-natured birds, and they do not typically display bully behavior.
These beautiful, friendly little birds are quite common in the UK. They eat primarily seeds, and sunflower seeds are their all-time favorite, although they may also enjoy a rosehip or bug as a snack.
How to Quickly Attract Green Finches to Your Garden
So, would you like to know how to attract greenfinches to your garden? All that you need are a few specific plants in your garden, and some well-placed feeders.
It couldn’t be simpler! Take a look!
Bird Feeder
The most reliable way to lure almost any bird to your yard is a quality bird feeder.
Before you purchase one, you’ll need to make sure you have a safe place to set it up, however.
Otherwise, hawks, ravens, cats, and other predators will use it for an altogether different sort of feeder!
To keep the greenfinches or other songbirds safe, make sure to hang a birdfeeder deep in the foliage of a tree.
It should be at least 10-feet above the ground – the higher the better!
As far as the type of feeder, you’ll want to make sure that these sparrow-sized birds can fit on it. Look for a feeder that deposits seeds into troughs, with plenty of room for a few medium-sized birds to eat comfortably.
Try This: Greenfinches are especially fond of sunflower seeds, peanuts, and millet. If you want to attract green finches to your garden, a feeder full of these should do the trick!
Plants
Along with a bird feeder, you can also plant certain plants in your garden that greenfinches will enjoy.
For example, greenfinches are known to eat rosehips, the fruit leftover once a rose is spent.
Planting some rose bushes and wild roses in your garden can provide your neighborhood greenfinches with a yearly harvest feast.
You can plant millet if you have measures to keep its weed-like growth in check. Greenfinches are also extremely fond of poppies, purple coneflowers, daisies, cosmos, and marigolds (for the seeds).
Finally, finches of all kinds (and birds of all kinds) adore sunflower seeds, so planting a sunflower patch can attract a small flock!
Bird Bath and Drinking Water
In the wild, clean, safely located water is a precious resource.
A birdbath is often much appreciated by birds of all kinds, as long as you take care to place it well out of the reach of any predator.
Your best bet is to keep it on your porch (if you don’t have cats), or under a tree, well out of predators’ view!
In time, you’re sure to see some birds come to bathe (a truly cute sight) and drink. Some of these might be greenfinches.
What’s More: When greenfinches visit your garden or feeder, a birdbath will encourage them to stick around longer!
Time of Year
Fortunately for those hoping to catch sight of them, greenfinches can be seen year-round in the UK.
They also increase in numbers in the winter!
You may hear a male greenfinch and his distinct twitter in January or February when the mating season begins.
Otherwise, with greenfinches, you don’t have to worry too much about the time of year!
Green Finches Are Attracted to Color
Along with planting things that greenfinches love to eat in your garden, you can also add plants that are nice and colorful. Think asters, butterfly flowers, that sort of thing.
Greenfinches, vibrant little birds that they are, are quite attracted to color!
Final Word
So, there you have it: how to attract greenfinches to your garden.
All that you need are some enticements, like coneflowers in your garden, a birdbath, or sunflower seeds in a feeder!
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