House Finch

The House Finch is a small, streaky finch that has become one of the most common and familiar birds at feeders across North America. Males have variable amounts of red to orange-red coloring on the forehead, eyebrow, throat, and breast, with the rest of the body brown and heavily streaked, especially on the flanks. Females and immature birds lack any red and are plain grayish-brown with blurry streaking throughout, lacking the bold facial pattern of many similar sparrows.

Originally a bird of the western United States and Mexico, House Finches were introduced to the eastern U.S. in the 1940s (sold illegally as "Hollywood finches") and have since spread to become common across nearly the entire continent.

Key Field Marks

• Male: red to orange-red face, throat, and breast, with brown streaked back and flanks
• Female: plain grayish-brown with diffuse streaking and no strong facial pattern
• Fairly long, slightly curved upper edge to a conical bill
• Squared-off tail tip

Similar Species

• Purple Finch: male has a more raspberry-purple wash covering the head, back, and breast rather than concentrated red, and a more notched tail; female Purple Finch has a bold white eyebrow stripe and dark cheek patch, unlike the plain-faced female House Finch.
• Cassin's Finch (western mountains): male has a more contrasting bright red crown against a paler pink-brown body; ranges overlap in parts of the West.
• Common Redpoll: smaller, with a red cap and black chin, and much whiter overall in winter.

Habitat

House Finches are highly adaptable and common in urban and suburban neighborhoods, parks, farms, and open or scrubby habitats, as well as deserts and canyons in their native western range.

Range

Native to the western United States and Mexico, House Finches were introduced to New York in the 1940s and have since spread across virtually the entire continental United States and southern Canada.

Migration

Most House Finches are year-round residents and do not undertake long migrations, though some northern and high-elevation populations may shift locally in winter.

Behavior

House Finches are social and gregarious, often seen in small flocks at feeders, and they nest readily near human structures, including hanging planters, ledges, and shrubs close to houses.

Voice

The song is a long, bubbly, warbling series of notes, often ending in an upward or downward slurred note; a common call is a sharp "queet."

Feeding

They feed mainly on seeds, buds, and fruit, and are common visitors to feeders offering sunflower seed; unlike many finches they rarely eat insects.

Nesting & Breeding

Females build a cup nest in a wide variety of sites, from tree branches and cactus to building ledges and hanging planters, and typically lay 2-6 pale bluish-white eggs with fine speckling. Pairs may raise multiple broods in a season.