House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)

[order] PASSERIFORMES | [family] Fringillidae | [latin] Carpodacus mexicanus | [UK] House Finch | [FR] Roselin de Mexique | [DE] Hausgimpel | [ES] Gorrion domestico | [NL] Mexicaanse Roodmus

Subspecies

Physical charateristics

Male: Bright red breast, forehead, stripe over the eye and rump. Resembles male Purple and Cassin’s finches but slighter; male brighter red. Note the dark
i stripes on the sides and belly. The striped brown female is separated from female Purple and Cassin’s finches by its smaller head, bill, and bland face
(no heavy mustache or dark cheek patch). Some males may be orange. This recent addition to the avifauna of the East often associates with the similar Purple Finch at feeding trays.

Listen to the sound of House Finch

[audio:http://www.aviflevoland.nl/sounddb/H/House Finch.mp3]

Copyright remark: Most sounds derived from xeno-canto

Range

North America, Middle America : Canada

Habitat

Cities, suburbs, farms, canyons.
Original habitat was probably streamside trees and brush in dry country, woodland edges, chaparral, other semi-open areas. Now most commonly associated with humans in cities, towns, and farmland, especially in areas with lawns, weedy areas, trees, buildi
ngs. Avoids unbroken forest or grassland.

Reproduction

Pairs may begin to form within flocks in winter. In breeding season, male performs flight-song display, singing while fluttering up with slow wingbeats and then gliding down. Male feeds female during courtship and incubation.
Nest: Wide variety of sites, especially in conifers, palms, ivy on buildings, cactus, holes in manmade structures, averaging about 12-
15′ above the ground. Sometimes use sites such as cavities, hanging planters, old nests of other birds. Nest (built mostly by female) is open cup of grass, weeds, fine twigs, leaves, rootlets, sometimes with feathers, string, or other debris added.
Eggs: 4-5, sometimes 2-6. Pale blue, with black and lavender dots mostly at larger end. Incubation is by female, about 13-14 days.
Young: Both parents feed nestlings. Young leave the nest about 12-15 days after hatching. Up to 3 broods per year, perhaps sometimes more.

Feeding habits

Mostly seeds, buds, berries. Almost all of
diet is vegetable matter. Feeds mainly on weed seeds. Other important items include buds and flower parts in spring, berries and small fruits in late summer and fall. Also eats a few insects, mostly small ones such as aphids. Young are fed on regurgitate
d seeds.
Behavior:
Forages on ground, while perching in weeds, or up in trees and shrubs. Except when nesting, usually forages in flocks. Will come to feeders for seeds, especially sunflower seeds, and to hummingbird feeders for sugar-water.

Conservation

This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of locations or severe fragmentation). The population trend appears to be increasing, and hence the species does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population trend criterion (>30% decline over ten years or three generations). The population size is extremely large, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the population size criterion (<10,000 mature individuals with a continuing decline estimated to be >10% in ten years or three generations, or with a specified population structure). For these reasons the species is evaluated as Least Concern.

Migration

British Columbia to southern Mexico. Introduced in eastern United States; spreading. Migration: Mostly permanent resident in West, although so
me may move to lower elevations for winter. In the East, some are permanent residents but others migrate long distances south in fall. Migrates in flocks, mostly by day.

Distribution map