Learn what a house finch looks like and how to attract one. Find out facts about the house finch nest, eggs, range, habitat and song.
On This Page
House Finch Range
In March 1942, a flock of seven house finches was discovered on Long Island. This was highly unusual, since at the time, house finches were typically found only west of the Mississippi River, including the western United States and Mexico. After some investigation, the National Audubon Society caught wind of a Brooklyn pet store selling house finches as “Hollywood finches.” Fearing legal consequences, the sellers released the birds into New York City. An estimated 100,000 house finches had been smuggled in from California—and the rest, as they say, is history.
Today, house finches can be found throughout the U.S., including Hawaii. Birders might see them in woodlands, parks, residential areas, farms and deserts year-round.
What Does a House Finch Look Like?
While the male house finch is easy to identify with its rosy red head and chest, the female blends in more easily, often resembling other brown-streaked birds. Andrea Debbink, the author of Bird Watching: Press Pause and Admire the Avian World, has some advice. “The vertical streaks on their chests help distinguish them from female house sparrows, and their boldness around people also sets them apart.”
Scientific Name: Haemorhous mexicanus
Family: Finch
What Do House Finches Eat?
Although their coloring differs, both male and female house finches sport strong, conical beaks that are perfect for cracking open seeds. House finches love seeds so much they even feed them to their young ones—an uncommon trait among birds. One surprising benefit of this behavior, however, is that when cowbirds lay eggs in house finch nests, the cowbird chicks often fail to survive, since a seed-based diet doesn’t provide the protein they need to grow.
The quickest way to attract house finches to your yard? Offer them the seeds they love most. “Their favorites include Nyjer seeds and black oil sunflower seeds,” Andrea says. “You can also grow their go-to plants, such as sunflowers, coneflowers and asters, and evergreens such as pines. These plants not only provide food, but nesting material and shelter,” she says.
Similar Species
Even seasoned backyard birders confuse house finches with purple finches. Start with range: House finches are year-round residents across the U.S., while purple finches winter in the Midwest and Southeast. Purple finches also show deeper raspberry coloring on the head, back and chest.
House Finch Plumage Color
“This bird (above) looks like a house finch, but the coloring is not typical. What kind of bird is this?” asks Birds & Blooms reader Jean Bullock of Du Quoin, Illinois.
Birding experts Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman say, “What you have there is a house finch with a fascinating color variation. Male house finches are usually marked with red, but sometimes those red areas are replaced with orange or yellow or some of both. The red pigment in the feathers is affected by what the finch eats, so there might have been deficiencies in the bird’s diet back when this set of feathers was growing in. If this individual continues to visit your yard, you may see it develop the normal red coloring the next time it molts new feathers.”
Learn how to identify a Cassin’s finch.
Nest and Eggs
House finches are highly adaptable birds, thriving in a variety of habitats, from their native deserts to busy, urban environments. They also build their cup nests just about anywhere—from cactuses and trees to planters and building ledges. While both the male and female may collect nesting materials, the female takes the lead in constructing the nest.
Mom finch lays two to six spotted bluish white eggs, which hatch in about two weeks. Fledglings leave the nest in 12 to 19 days.
Learn how to identify and attract a redpoll.
House Finch Song
The male house finch sings a jumbled warbling tune that varies by region. For example, house finches in Wisconsin sing longer songs with more syllables than their California cousins.
Listen to the house finch’s song.
Bird songs provided by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Next, check out super pretty pictures of finches.
About the Experts
Author and master naturalist Andrea Debbink specializes in nonfiction storytelling for children and adults with a focus on environmental stewardship, citizen science, and outdoor education. Andrea has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman are the official bird experts for Birds & Blooms. They are the creators of the Kaufman Field Guide series and they lead birding trips all over the world.
Sources
- National Audubon Society – “The House Finch: A Hollywood Fugitive”
- Missouri Department of Conservation – “History of the House Finch”
