House Finch #2

The House Finch is the most common bird at my feeders. ... more

by Robert Bales

Title

House Finch #2

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

The House Finch is the most common bird at my feeders.
The House Finch is a recent introduction from western into eastern North America (and Hawaii), but it has received a warmer reception than other arrivals like the European Starling and House Sparrow. That is partly due to the cheerful red head and breast of males, and to the bird long, twittering song, which can now be heard in most of the neighborhoods of the continent. If you haven�t seen one recently, chances are you can find one at the next bird feeder you come across.
House Finches are small-bodied finches with fairly large beaks and somewhat long, flat heads. The wings are short, making the tail seem long by comparison. Many finches have distinctly notched tails, but the House Finch has a relatively shallow notch in its tail.
Adult males are rosy red around the face and upper breast, with streaky brown back, belly and tail. In flight, the red rump is conspicuous. Adult females aren�t red; they are plain grayish-brown with thick, blurry streaks and an indistinctly marked face.
House Finches are gregarious birds that collect at feeders or perch high in nearby trees. When they are not at feeders, they feed on the ground, on weed stalks, or in trees. They move fairly slowly and sit still as they shell seeds by crushing them with rapid bites. Flight is bouncy, like many finches.
House Finches frequent city parks, backyards, urban centers, farms, and forest edges across the continent. In the western U.S., you will also find House Finches in their native habitats of deserts, grassland, chaparral, and open woods

Uploaded

March 21st, 2014