Don Jurgs had been a prisoner of war in Germany during World War Two. More recently he was Santa Claus at Mall of America, but I knew him when he was a naturalist in Bettendorf, Iowa. He liked to say there are two kinds of birds: sparrows, and non-sparrows. Don knew how to simultaneously educate and entertain.

But even Don’s very brief “taxonomic system” can confuse. Some of the ‘non-sparrows’ can be easily mistaken for sparrows, but are actually finches. And there are a lot of them. For example: goldfinches, pine siskins, redpolls, crossbills, house finches, purple finches, and even pine grossbeaks… to name a few. But this is exactly what makes backyard bird feeding interesting.

There’s nothing like contemplating all the activity around a well-stocked bird feeding station, on a cold winter morning, over a nice hot cup of coffee, at your kitchen table. Some of those birds may have traveled many hundreds of miles, and your contribution could help them survive winter and make the return trip to northern Canada.

You never know what you might see. Last winter we had brand new birds at our feeder. There was a red male and then a gold colored female, and in a few minutes they were gone. Red crossbills have now visited my feeder a grand total of once, as far as I know. At this same time, a friend told me that in 40 years of feeding birds, it was the first time he’d noticed them as well.

Crossbills are finches that nest, for the most part, in Canada. They can winter as far south as Alabama, but their appearances in winter are unpredictable. In Illinois we are probably more likely to see red crossbills than white winged crossbills, though I wouldn’t bet on either. Their name derives from the shape of the bill, which has evolved to extract seeds from pinecones. Animals bite down with much more force than they can apply opening their mouths. The crossbill’s beak has evolved to take advantage of this in a clever way. The tips of the beak overlap, allowing the bird to insert its slightly opened beak into tightly closed cones and bite down, forcing the cone open.

Crossbills are considered “irruptive migrants.” This refers to their intermittent appearances. The term, irruptive, refers to a large number of birds of a particular species occasionally moving into a region where they do not normally occur. This type of migration is often a response to lack of food. If crossbills find a good crop of cones, some may actually nest there. They’ve been known to nest as far south as Georgia.

Another ‘irruptive migrant’ we’ve enjoyed seeing at our feeder is the more common redpoll, a finch of northern Canada. They have dark streaks along the sides and breast, like a pine siskin, but also have a conspicuous red cap. Their bill is shorter than a siskin’s and is yellow (the siskin’s bill is dark, nearly black).They nest far to the north and the southern extent of their winter range varies greatly. If you watch your bird feeder closely, as winter approaches, you may notice redpolls feeding alongside pine siskins and goldfinches. You could even see the much whiter and less common hoary redpoll.

Speaking of pine siskins, they are a fairly common winter ‘feeder bird,’ often hanging around with goldfinches. These brownish streaked finches nest from the northernmost tier of states, across southern Canada, but they winter throughout the entire U.S.

Among our very favorite birds at the feeder are goldfinches. Besides their bright yellow plumage, black cap, and complex vocalizations, there are other things that differentiate them from other birds. They are one of the few, for example, that are almost entirely vegetarian, even feeding partially digested seeds (rather than insects) to their nestlings. They undergo two molts in order for the males to attain their bright yellow color for mating season and return to a less conspicuous brownish color for winter.

Just a couple decades ago, there was a new arrival in Peoria, and its beautiful complex song made it a welcome addition to many a backyard feeder. House finches are native to the Rocky Mountains, but these raspberry red finches from out west ironically arrived here from the east. They were being captured, and marketed in east coast pet stores as “Hollywood Finches.” Since they are native, it’s illegal to sell them, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began fining guilty pet shop owners. As news of these fines spread, pet shops simply released all their “Hollywood finches.” The birds soon began to proliferate and spread, and over a few decades they had dispersed westward, eventually arriving in Peoria in the late 80’s.

Finches prefer to feed from hanging feeders (sparrows generally feed on the ground). Crushed sunflower hearts are a particular favorite, although the black oil sunflower is also popular. Thistle seed has been a recommended feed for goldfinches. But they actually seem to prefer crushed sunflower hearts to thistle seed, when given a choice.

A good rule of thumb is to feed sunflower, thistle and suet from hanging feeders. Millets, and cracked corn (preferred by sparrows, juncos, and mourning doves) are best placed on the ground, either over flat stones, or on a screen mesh that is suspended just above the ground. Suet provides a lot of calories and attracts woodpeckers and chickadees. It is likely to also attract starlings (which aren’t native).

Liquid water is a great addition to a feeding station. There are a couple ways to accomplish this. Place a black rock in a bird bath to absorb sunlight and melt some ice. Or you could choose to buy a birdbath heater.

Forest Park Nature Center in Peoria Heights has a great selection of bird feeders, bird books, feed, and there’s a terrific bird feeding station, with indoor seating (and they even have coffee). Staff is able to offer advice on starting, or improving your feeding area. Call them at 686-3360.