Rural Perspectives: House finch likely to be found near buildings, homes

by Diane Constable

The male house finch is easily identified by its red-colored body
and the brownish and white streaks on its wings and belly.
Photo credit Diane Constable

The non-native house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) is seen frequently at our bird feeders year-round. They have naturalized without competing or displacing our native birds and are often seen with our native goldfinches.

The first word of the scientific name, Haemorhous, means blood red for the male’s color and the second word, mexicanus, is for their native habitat of Mexico and Southwest North America.

This colorful house finch lives up to its name because it is more likely to be seen around buildings and homes than in the open fields and woods. The male is easily identified by its reddish head, breast, and rump and the brownish and white streaks on its wings and belly. Eating red fruits and berries enhances the redness of the male bird. The female is a duller brown and white-streaked bird, although sometimes it can have a bit of a yellow cast.

They can form large flocks of 50-100 or more.

House finches mate for life and the female does the nest building. She makes a small cupped-type nest made of small leaves, grass, and feathers that is about 3-6 inches across. It can be in trees, shrubs, or building ledges. The male’s job is to feed her while she does all the egg-sitting.

The house finch will lay up to six eggs and have two to three clutches per year. Once the eggs hatch in about 13 days, the male and female both feed the chicks, which will fledge about 14 days later. They grow to be about 5.5 inches long, will weigh about two-thirds of an ounce, and live up to 10 years.

The house finch is a true vegetarian—eating mostly a variety of fruits, berries and seeds such as dandelion, thistle, wild mustard and sunflower seeds. They also are easily attracted to bird feeders and birdbaths. They need more water than many birds, up to one-half their body weight. They successfully chase off other birds from their food and nesting sites, particularly the house sparrow, a non-native bird that competes and destroys nests of our native birds.

Fun Fact: In the 1930s and 1940s this Southwestern bird was being illegally captured in California. They were shipped to New York City, renamed and sold in pet stores as caged birds called “Hollywood Finches.” That is, until there was a crackdown on capturing, selling and owning these wild birds, because it is a serious violation of the Migratory Bird Act of 1918. Merchants and pet owners alike set them free to avoid prosecution. The birds thrived and the populations expanded westward and now can be found throughout the country.

As an avid photographer, Diane Constable regularly puts her formal education in both nature and photography to good use. Diane also enjoys gardening and her dogs. She serves on the board of the Ann Arbor Dog Training Club and is editor of the club’s newsletter.