House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
Frequents suburban settings across North America, along with open woods, brushy field edges, and deserts. Males vary in shades and intensity of red. Some males are yellow or orange. Females are drab gray-brown overall with plain faces and blurry streaks on underparts. Similar to Purple and Cassin's Finch, but House Finch males are more orangey-red with color equally bright on crown, throat, and breast. Red color is mostly restricted to head and upper chest, contrasting with cold gray-brown nape, back, and wings. Pale sides show distinct brown streaks, lacking red tones. Females lack bold face pattern and have more diffuse patterning overall. Often sings loudly in neighborhoods and visits feeders.
Identification
The house finch is a moderate-sized finch, 12.5 to 15 cm (5 to 6 in) long, with a wingspan of 20 to 25 cm (8 to 10 in). Body mass can vary from .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}16 to 27 g (9⁄16 to 15⁄16 oz), with an average weight of 21 g (3⁄4 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 7 to 8.4 cm (2+3⁄4 to 3+1⁄4 in), the tail is 5.7 to 6.5 cm (2+1⁄4 to 2+1⁄2 in), the culmen is 0.9 to 1.1 cm (3⁄8 to 7⁄16 in) and the tarsus is 1.6 to 1.8 cm (5⁄8 to 11⁄16 in).<p>Adults have a long, square-tipped brown tail and are a brown or dull-brown color across the back with some shading into deep gray on the wing feathers. Breast and belly feathers may be streaked; the flanks usually are. In most cases, adult males' heads, necks and shoulders are reddish. This color sometimes extends to the belly and down the back, between the wings. Male coloration varies in intensity with the seasons and is derived from the berries and fruits in its diet. As a result, the colors range from pale straw-yellow through bright orange (both rare) to deep, intense red. Adult females have brown upperparts and streaked underparts.<p>The house finch's songs typically consist of a series of high-pitched musical jumbles ending with a distinct high note, wheer. Calls from flight include a soft cheet or wheat, with perched birds giving a more drawn-out version.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Haemorhous mexicanus
- Authority
- (Müller, PLS, 1776)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Haemorhous
Range and habitat
House finches are mainly permanent residents throughout their range, some birds migrate to the south, with adult females moving longer distances than males. Their breeding habitat is urban and suburban areas across North America, as well as various semi-open areas in the west from southern Canada to the Mexican state of Oaxaca; the population in central Chiapas may be descended from escaped cagebirds. Analyses of nest records from house finches in California spanning more than a century found that egg‐laying occurred significantly earlier in warmer springs.<p>Originally only a resident of Mexico and the southwestern United States, house finches were introduced to eastern North America in the 1940s. The birds were sold illegally in New York City as "Hollywood Finches", a marketing artifice. To avoid prosecution under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, vendors and owners released the birds. They have since become naturalized; in largely unforested land across the eastern U.S. they have displaced the native purple finch and even the non-native house sparrow. Sometime in the 19th century, they were introduced to Hawaii and are now abundant on all its major islands.<p>According to the Partners in Flight database, there are estimated to be 40 million house finches across North America.<p>Instances of naturalization originating in escapes or releases of cage birds have been recorded in Europe, such as in 2020 in Murcia, (Spain).
- Migration
- Resident species
Conservation
- Population trend
- rising
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Sun Lark
Galerida modesta
A chunky, robust lark that has a heavy bill with a yellowish base, a densely streaked chest, and a small crest that is sometimes raised. A resident or partial migrant occupying arid open scrub, dry wooded grassland, and fields, where pairs and small groups walk confidently, pecking or digging for seeds and insects. Sits on low perches or trees issuing a characteristic song: a rolling, trilling “tseee-dee-ree-lee” that often includes imitations, sometimes given in flight.
Black-and-white Becard
Pachyramphus albogriseus
Small becard occurring from Venezuela to Peru, mainly on the east slope of the Andes, and disjunctly in Costa Rica and Panama. Mostly found in foothills, in middle to upper levels of humid montane forest. Male is mostly gray with bold white edges on the wing feathers and a black cap with pale spectacles. Compare with White-winged Becard, which has a black back and dark lores. Female is very different; look for her brown cap bordered with black, white spectacles, pale yellowish belly, and tawny edges on wing feathers. Extremely similar to Cryptic Becard, with potential range overlap on the east slope of the Andes in Ecuador and Peru. Male Black-and-white shows a broader upper wingbar, darker lores, a blacker upperside of the tail, and stouter bill than Cryptic. Female Black-and-white has a brighter rufous crown with a broader black border. These features may all be difficult or impossible to assess in the field; some birds are best left unidentified. Also note voice: song a slow series of one or several sweet downslurred whistles followed by an upslurred whistle, often repeated two or three times. Cryptic’s song is faster, with shorter notes.
Canebrake Groundcreeper
Clibanornis dendrocolaptoides
Large, long-tailed ovenbird, rusty above and grayish below. Note the buff eyebrow and black spots at the sides of the throat. Found in montane forest and old second growth; often associated with bamboo or dense understory, usually near streams. Behavior poorly known, but forages in pairs both arboreally and terrestrially. Song is a loud series of staccato notes.
Start Your Bird Watching Journey
Identify a bird outdoors and keep the field guide close for your next observation.