The House Finch has been revealed as America’s most frequently detected backyard bird in Birdfy’s 2026 US Birdwatching Insights Report. It comes as a surprise, with the smart bird feeder brand noting there was an expectation for Northern Cardinals to take the top spot, yet House Finches were detected more than 200 million times over the last year.
The findings highlight one of the main benefits of having a smart bird feeder, which not only captures footage of feathered visitors but uses AI-recognition tools to identify different species. Birdfy’s range of smart feeders (available on Amazon) identified more than 2.1 billion feeder visitors between June 2025 and May 2026, with House Finch having the most detections.
Birdfy also reports some surprising hummingbird activity, with 17 rarer species detected alongside the commonly spotted Ruby-throated, Anna’s, and Allen’s Hummingbirds. For backyard birdwatchers, these findings offer an exciting glimpse into which charming species may stop in gardens during this year’s hummingbird migration.
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House Finch Takes the Top Spot
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The Birdfy report states analysis of their feeders’ data in the past year found ‘the House Finch, not the Northern Cardinal, was the most frequently detected feeder visitor’ across the whole of the US.
Native to the southwestern US and Mexico, House Finches (the males can be identified by their streaky brown bodies and red heads, throats, and chests) are commonly found in deserts, brushlands, open woods, and urban areas.
However, according to the report, Northern Cardinals, House Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and Tufted Titmice closely followed, with the most frequently detected species varying by region.
‘East of the Rocky Mountains, Northern Cardinals dominate Birdfy detections; to the west, House Finches appear most frequently,’ the report states.
Interestingly, the report also found that ‘bird activity surged before most Americans had even woken up,’ highlighting how much backyard wildlife activity can go unnoticed.
This is where smart bird feeders can be particularly useful. This smart bird feeder from Walmart, for example, sends instant activity alerts to your phone and captures footage to watch back later.
How to Support House Finches
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To support these busy backyard birds, opt for a tube feeder with a perch (like this from Walmart). Finches are small birds, so using a feeder with lots of space and multiple feeding ports allows room for more birds – this Birdfy wooden smart feeder on Amazon also suits their needs.
House Finches also love black oil sunflower seeds (like this pack from Amazon), which give them plenty of energy in the challenging conditions of both summer and winter.
Likewise, having native plants for birds in your yard offers nutritious natural food sources. These coneflowers from Trees.com (formerly Fast Growing Trees) are popular with finches.
Placing your bird feeder near tree or shrub cover also offers these small birds a safe spot to dart to and hide from predators, such as cats.
And don’t forget to clean your bird feeder regularly to reduce the spread of disease.
Rare Hummingbirds Visit Backyards
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Birdfy’s report uncovered some exciting hummingbird activity across US yards: ‘Across more than 20 million hummingbird identifications, Birdfy recorded 17 species beyond the three most common, including unusual visitors such as the Broad-billed, Berylline and Lucifer Hummingbirds.’
The latter, Lucifer Hummingbird, has a particularly striking appearance with a curved bill and bright purple gorget (throat).
The more familiar species also made many appearances, with Ruby-throated Hummingbirds accounting for over 60% of all hummingbird identifications and dominating sightings in the east. In western parts of the US, Anna’s, Allen’s, Rufous and Costa’s Hummingbirds were detected more frequently.
How to Support Hummingbirds
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While support for different hummingbird species can vary due to behavioural and habitat differences, there are some general rules of thumb to follow if you want to offer them a safe retreat in your yard.
With the hummingbird migration beginning in late summer, now is a great time to hang up hummingbird feeders (like this glass hummingbird feeder from Amazon or this Birdfy smart hummingbird feeder from Walmart) and provide water sources – hummingbirds actually prefer mist over a bird bath, so you might want to pick up this solar fountain from Walmart.
You should also keep on top of cleaning hummingbird feeders regularly to ensure the nectar doesn’t spoil and to reduce the spread of disease.
You could even consider growing Mexican bush sage for hummingbirds to provide a natural late-season nectar source.
What to Shop
No matter what kind of bird feeder you have, it’s important to avoid bird feeder mistakes that could put the birds at risk and sabotage how many visitors you get. This includes not refreshing bird feed regularly, resulting in bird food going moldy and even your bird feeder attracting rats.
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