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Nature's Solace
Celebrating Nature in the Pacific Northwest
House Finch - Haemorhous mexicanus
The house finch diet is the most vegetarian of any North American bird. Chicks are fed regurgitated seeds, unlike the protein rich insects that most birds feed to their chicks.
The natural house finch diet consists of nearly 100% plant material, including weed seeds, buds, berries, and small fruits. This finch is
savoring the berries of our mountain ash tree.
The house finches are our most loyal, second only to the juncos, of birds visiting our feeders year round, favoring the sunflower feeders and picking off from the sunflower plants late summer. They always arrive in small flocks of mixed males and females. Being a highly
social gregarious bird, the flock can be quite large.
House finches are monogomous, staying to-
gether through the year, with mating occuring
in the winter. They do not, however, mate "for
life". Swooping down while singing (a "butterfly
flight")is the male's way of trying to win the
female's heart. It helps to have feathers of bright
red. Females seem to prefer to mate with the
reddest male they can find. Female finches are "plain jane" in comparison.
The female creates the nest - an open 3 -7"cup of grass, twigs, leaves and lined with feathers. While she incubates the 4 - 5 eggs, the male brings her food. After a couple of days following hatching, the male will share the duties of feeding the young. After fledging, the male continues to tend to the young for a couple of weeks while the female prepares to have a second clutch. There may be three or more broods in all.
This nest was made in our clematis vine, directly next to the front door. House finches don't seem bothered by human activity. They are known to build their nests in hanging planters, building crevices as well as coniferous trees.
Habitat and Range: House finches were originally native
only to Western US and Mexico, found in dry desert, desert grassland, chaparral, oak savannah, streamsides, and open coniferous forests at elevations below 6,000 feet. They naturally expanded northward to the Pacific Northwest. They were introduced to the East coast, specifically New York, in 1940. Look at their range map and it's clear that they have succeeded in spreading across the county. Today they can easily be found in city parks, backyards, forest edges, farms and perched high in the treetop. Gregarious and social, they are hard to miss.
Vocalization: To my ear, the house finch song is cheerful and one of the prettiest. It's a long warbling series of short notes. Gather a flock of singing house finches and it quite the cacaphony of music. Listen to their songs here - you will hear the flock sing-a-long in the California March 11, 1917 version.
Migration: Our house finches in western US are primarily non-migratory. This is why we will see them year round as permanent residents, often staying near their breeding area. Great Lakes and Northeastern house finches may make short distance migrations in the winter to milder temperatures.
House Finch Eye Disease - Since 1994, an eye disease called Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis was first detected in the Eastern population of house finches. Symptoms include red, swollen, runny, or crusty eyes. In extreme cases the eyes become swollen shut and the bird becomes blind. You might observe an infected bird sitting quietly in your yard, clumsily scratching an eye against its foot or a perch. Since 2006, the disease has crossed the Rocky Mountains and appeared in the western states. To learn more about this disease, what to look for and how to help, click here.
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