Perching Birds
House Finch
Carpodacus
mexicanus
Description
5-6" (13-15 cm). Sparrow-sized. Most
adult males bright red on crown, breast, and rump, but less
extensively so than male Cassin's and Purple finches. Female has
plain, unstriped head and heavy streaking on light underside.
Immature males less highly colored, often orangish or yellowish on
head and breast.
Voice
A chirp call like that of a young House
Sparrow. The song is an extensive series of warbling notes ending in
a zeee, canarylike but without the musical trills and rolls. Sings
from a high tree, antenna, or similar post for prolonged
periods.
Habitat
In the East, cities and residential
areas; in the West, Chaparral, deserts, and orchards, as well as
coastal valleys that were formerly forested with redwood, cedar, or
Douglas fir but have now become suburban.
Nesting
3-5 bluish, lightly streaked or spotted
eggs, with each pair breeding 2-4 times a summer; tightly woven,
compact nest set in a bush, thicket, natural cavity, or on a
building.
Range
Resident throughout West, from southern
Canada to southern Mexico, and east to Nebraska. Introduced and now
widespread in eastern North America.
Discussion
House Finches are omnivorous, gleaning
insect pests and, in winter, grass and weed seeds. Garden-bred birds
join large field flocks during the fall, often feeding in farmers'
fields, and may become agricultural pests. The eastern population of
this species is descended from cage birds released near New York
City in the 1940s. For years the birds barely survived on Long
Island, but they then spread in suburban areas. In the late 1960s
and 1970s they finally established themselves in urban New York,
where their musical song and bright colors add a cheerful
touch.
Perching Birds