Winter House Finch

The house finch haemorhous mexicanus is a bird in the finch family fringillidae.

Winter house finch. Adaptable colorful and cheery voiced house finches are common from coast to coast today familiar visitors to backyard feeders. Winter finches are typically granivorous and eat a variety of seeds. It is native to western north america and has been introduced to the eastern half of the continent and hawaii. 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.

Drill a 2 diameter entrance hole located 4 1 2 above the floor to top of. While house and purple finches have a lot of similarities there are enough subtle differences between the species that they can be positively identified with patience and practice. Most finch species flock outside the breeding season and many form flocks during the breeding season as well. Make a 6 by 6 floor inside dimensions and a 6 floor to ceiling height inside front.

In mexico house finches are permanent residents south to oaxaca and veracruz howell and webb 1995. This is a moderately sized finch. The finches survived and began to colonize the new york suburbs. The finch family is made up of acrobatic seedeaters with conical bills and notched tails.

Mesh or screen clinging feeders are ideal and larger finches will visit hopper or platform feeders with comfortable perches. This species and the other american rosefinches are placed in the genus haemorhous description. Adding extra nyjer black oil sunflower seeds hulled sunflower and millet to feeding areas will provide an abundant food source when these flocks arrive. They readily flock to backyard feeders and their short thick bills are perfectly designed for hulling sunflower seeds at a brisk pace.

Many of these eastern birds migrate to the south for the winter sauer et al. That s partly due to the cheerful red head and breast of males and to the bird s long twittering song which can now be heard in most of the neighborhoods of the continent. The house finch has a louder longer chirp call with a rising pitch while the purple finch s call is a soft pik sound. New york pet shop owners who had been selling the finches illegally released their birds in 1940 to escape prosecution.

House finches eat many kinds of seeds and fruits. Many finches have undulating flight patterns and may give calls while in flight. Many are nomadic wandering in winter in search of abundant seeds. That s partly due to the cheerful red head and breast of males and to the bird s long twittering song which can now be heard in most of the neighborhoods of the continent.

The sweet jumbled song of a house finch is a familiar sound across much of the country. Use wood rough cut on both sides so that birds can grip both interior and exterior surfaces. Build the house finch birdhouse with cedar pine or almost any soft wood.