House Finch

Featuring colorful plumage and a stout bill well-adapted for seed-eating, the house finch is a member of the true finch family (Fringillidae). You can often hear their bright and cheerful voices in the spring and summer, even without seeing them.

3 Amazing House Finch Facts

• Despite being almost exclusively herbivorous, the house finch may accidentally eat insects while foraging for other food.
• The color of the house finch changes based on the type of vegetation it consumes.
• The house finch is one of the most common birds to visit bird feeders. If one bird discovers the feeder, then it might bring the rest of the flock with it.

Where to Find the House Finch

The house finch maintains a large territory throughout most of the United States and Mexico, plus the southern parts of Canada. This species used to be entirely endemic to the west, but after it was introduced to the east in the 1940s, it quickly spread to the rest of the United States. It was also introduced into Hawaii in the late 19th century. The house finch is amenable to almost any environment within this range, including plains, forests, and deserts. It also coexists reasonably well with people.

Nests

The female finch constructs the small cup-shaped nest out of grass, twigs, leaves, roots, feathers, and even small debris.

Classification and Scientific Name

The scientific name of the house finch is Haemorhous mexicanus (mexicanus is the Latin term for Mexico). It used to be part of the genus Carpodacus, but after thorough DNA analysis, biologists agreed that the Carpodacus genus should be reserved for Old World finches, while the New World finches were moved into a new genus, Haemorhous. This genus name is the combination of two Greek words: haemo, meaning blood, and orrhos, meaning rump. This is perhaps a reference to the bright red feathers on the lower back of the finch. There are two other species in this genus: the purple finch and Cassin’s finch, both of which overlap with the range of the house finch.

Size, Appearance, and Behavior

This finch is a small bird, measuring no more than 6 inches in length with a 10-inch wingspan. It has a short but stout beak, a square-tipped tail, and a brown body with darker streaks along its flanks. An adult male is adorned with red feathers around its head and shoulders, extending down parts of the stomach and back. The intensity of the color depends on the amount of fruit in its diet, which varies with the seasons.

The house finch is a social species that congregates in large flocks for protection. These flocks exhibit distinct hierarchical behavior with females dominant over the males. The finch emits a loud warbling song after sunrise and just before sunset in the breeding season. This song becomes most intense during the courtship and nesting periods. Body posture and plumage are also important aspects of their communication.

Migration Pattern and Timing

Throughout most of its range, this finch is a stationary bird that does not stray far from its territory. But some northern and eastern populations do migrate south for the winter.

Diet

Unlike many other types of finches, the bird will forage in both the trees and the ground. When on the ground, this species likes to forage in large flocks for protection or keep a high perch nearby in case they sight predators. The house finch also drinks once per day by scooping up water in its bill and tilting its head back.

What does the house finch eat?

The house finch eats a combination of grains, seeds, buds, and flowers. Some of its favorite seeds include sunflowers, mistletoe, dandelions, and thistles.

Predators, Threats, and Conservation Status

These finch falls prey in large numbers to predators, but it has adapted very well to human activity. The IUCN Red List currently categorizes this species as of least concern.

What eats the house finch?

These finches are mostly preyed upon by domesticated cats and Cooper’s hawks. Raccoons, skunks, snakes, squirrels, rats, chipmunks, crows, and blue jays will all raid the nests for eggs.

Reproduction, Young, and Molting

The house finch establishes monogamous pair bonds in the winter by engaging in several courtship behaviors. To show their interest, the couple may touch bills and feed each other. But by far the most elegant courtship display is called the butterfly flight. The male ascends to 100 feet in the air and then glides back down to his perch while singing the entire way. Females seem to prefer brightly colored males because (as mentioned previously) the bright red is an indication of the male’s fruit consumption and therefore his foraging ability, strength, or desirability.

The actual breeding season lasts between March and August every year. After constructing her nest, the female produces three to six blue or green-white eggs at a time and then incubates them for about two weeks until the babies hatch. Both parents take turns feeding the chicks with regurgitated seeds.

After growing their flight feathers, the fledglings leave the nest around 12 to 19 days later. The female will then prepare to build a new nest for the next brood of eggs. She can produce up to six broods per season, but only three of these will produce actual babies. The average lifespan is not entirely known, but the oldest known house finch lived some 11 years and seven months in the wild. The lifespan is often cut short by predators and nest raiders.

Population

While many species have grown rarer, these finches actually expanded their range and population numbers in the 20th century. The conservationist group Partners in Flight estimates that there may be up to 40 million house finches in the wild.