Bird Magic: Wisdom of the Ancient Goddess for Pagans & Wiccans - Sandra Kynes 2016

Finch and Goldfinch: House Finch, Purple Finch, American Goldfinch
The Profiles

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis syn. Carduelis tristis)

These cousins can be distinguished from other small birds by their bouncy flight patterns. This is especially useful in the winter when goldfinches have molted their breeding plumage and look more like sparrows. Unlike their yellow cousin, the male house finch and purple finch retain their rosy coloring throughout the year. Finches are master weavers, constructing nests that are so tight that some can actually hold water.

Finches have been kept as pets for their pretty coloring as well as for their singing. Originally the house finch’s range covered just the western United States into Mexico. In 1940, after a plan to sell them as pets called Hollywood finches failed, the captive stock was turned loose on Long Island, New York.⁷² House finches now range throughout most of the eastern United States and southern Canada.

In medieval Europe, a belief persisted that the goldfinch provided protection against the plague. These birds were also symbols of fertility. In other folklore, if the first bird a young woman saw on Valentine’s Day was a goldfinch, she would marry into a wealthy family.

Magical Workings

These little high-energy creatures have the vitality to help us awaken and activate talents that we may not know we possess. Whenever introspection is needed, call on finch to aid you in heightening your awareness. As a songbird, finch helps us realize the power of the voice and communicate on all levels, including with spirits. Goldfinch, in particular, is an aid for contacting spirits.

Associated with enchantment, finch can open the gateway between the worlds for contacting the fairy folk. Call on this bird to enhance your summer solstice celebration by placing a figurine or picture on your altar during ritual. Invite finch to aid in spells dealing with fertility, for resolving family issues, and for attracting wealth.

Make Connection

To connect with finch, go to a place where you are comfortable singing out loud. Don’t worry about having a good voice; birds don’t concern themselves with that. Just express yourself. You don’t have to sing a song with words, you can simply follow a melody by making vowels sounds such as “ah” or “oo.” Lift your voice and let your spirit soar with the finches and you may feel yourself flying among them.

Associations

Element(s): Air

Sabbat(s): Litha

Tree: Cedar

Flower: Thistle

Magical beings: Elves, fairies

Bird Identification

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis syn. Carduelis tristis)

Also known as: Thistle bird, wild canary, yellow bird

Size: 4 to 5 inches

Wingspan: 7½ to 8½ inches

Comparative size: Sparrow

Description: Short, conical bill; small head; long wings; short, notched tail

Male: Bright yellow; black forehead; black wings with white markings; white patches above and beneath tail. In winter: drab brown; blackish wings with two pale wing bars

Female: Duller yellow underparts; olive above; black wings and tail

Range: Throughout southern Canada, most of the United States, and the Gulf Coast of Mexico

Habitat: Weedy grassland and farmland with shrubs and trees, thickets, and suburban areas

Eggs: Pale bluish white; may have small faint brown spots around large end

House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus syn. Carpodacus mexicanus)

Size: 5 to 6 inches

Wingspan: 7½ to 9½ inches

Comparative size: Sparrow

Description: Short wings; large beak; long, flat head; shallow notch in tail

Male: Red head, upper breast, and flanks; streaked brown back, belly, and tail; red rump

Female: Grayish-brown; streaked head

Range: Throughout most of the United States except for eastern Texas and a strip up through the central plains states to Canada; also in parts of Mexico

Habitat: Rural areas, suburbs, and cities

Eggs: Pale blue to white, finely speckled with black and pale purple

Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus syn. Carpodacus purpureus)

Size: 4½ to 6 inches

Wingspan: 8½ to 10 inches

Comparative size: Sparrow

Description: Chunky body; big, conical beak; short, notched tail

Male: Pinkish-raspberry red head and breast; brown streaks on back; whitish belly

Female: Strong facial markings; brown eye line; broad white eyebrow; underbody brown streaking

Range: From the Eastern Seaboard into the plains states, across southern Canada, and along the West Coast

Habitat: Evergreen forests, mixed upland woods, orchards, parklands, and suburban areas

Eggs: Pale greenish blue with brown and black markings

Collective noun(s): A charm, a company, or a trimming of finches, as well as a chirp or a glister of goldfinches

72. John Eastman, The Eastman Guide to Birds: Natural History Accounts for 150 North American Species (Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2012), 239.