How to Attract House Finches to Your Home

The house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) is one of the most common songbirds in North America. However, when it comes to getting a house finch to visit your home and feeders, it can be difficult. Below, learn more about house finches as well as tips for attracting house finches.

Species Summary: House Finches 

House finches are small passerine birds native to Central America and the United States. They are known best for their bright red chests and heads. Interestingly enough, they can become redder, depending on their diet! Females of the species lack this red coloration, as do juveniles.

In the entirety of their range, house finches are permanent residents. They may migrate within their range, moving south or into lower elevations, to avoid cold weather during the winter. This species is common in human areas. These areas may include lawns, urban centers, landscaping, and even in small man-made structures. When it comes time to build their nests in the spring, they may build their own or use nests abandoned by other birds. 

Tips for Attracting House Finches

Between their beautiful, bright color and their cheery song, house finches can be a pleasure to have around your home. As a result, having learned about this interesting species, you may be interested in attracting more house finches to your home. Below, learn more about the preferred food and plants to catch a house finch’s eye, as well as other tips for attracting house finches. 

Choose the Right Bird Seed

The diet of the house finch is almost entirely made up of plant materials. This includes seeds, stems or buds, and the fruit itself. In the wild, they have a widely diverse diet, from poison oak to cactus to peaches. When eating from a feeder, you’ll find that house finches will eat other things as well. However, at feeders, house finches can be finicky. 

Of many of the different types of bird seed available, house finches prefer black oil sunflower seeds. Thankfully, if you’re looking to attract many birds to your home along with finches, these types of seeds are a favorite for many species. This includes cardinals and nuthatches.

Incorporate the Right Plants

If you are able to, adding the right plants to your landscaping can help encourage house finches to visit. When it comes to larger plants, like shrubs and trees, house finches may even choose to nest in these areas. 

Because house finches have such a high seed content in their diet, seed-bearing plants are some of the most popular to plant to attract house finches to your home. This can include plants like dandelions, black-eyed Susans, sunflowers, and more. If you have pine trees, house finches may also eat the seeds from the pine cones. 

You don’t need to have a house and a yard to attract house finches, however. Depending on your apartment rules, you may be able to use containers to attract house finches to your balcony with these plants. 

Add Color Near the Feeder

Many seed-eating birds are naturally attracted to colors, as bright colors usually indicate flowers and therefore food. If you’re trying to attract house finches to your feeder, adding brightly colored flowers or even ribbons near your bird feeder can help to get their attention. 

Birds are also curious and often attracted to bright colors that otherwise aren’t found in nature. 

Maintain a Clean Feeder

One of the most important parts of attracting any bird species to your yard or balcony is maintaining a clean feeder. The last thing a bird wants to eat is old, moldy seeds that could potentially make them sick. 

Keep the Feeder Full

Above, you learned that house finches can be finicky eaters. One of the most notable instances of this can be found in the fact that house finches prefer to eat from full feeders. Once they have eaten around half of the seed available, you may find that your usual house finch visitors are few and far between.

To remedy this, you can take out the old seed, refill the feeder halfway, and top it off with the old seed. This helps ensure you are never leaving seeds to grow old or stale while also meeting the needs of the house finches. 

Add Safe, Moving Water

If you are looking to use a bird bath to attract house finches to your home, try choosing one that involves moving water. One of the best examples of this is a bird bath with a bubbler feature. The moving water can disguise the sound of the birds splashing, helping them to feel safer from any potential predators nearby. 

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Jeff Caverly/Shutterstock.com