House Finch by Tiny Gehrke

Cool fact

The red or yellow color of a male House Finch comes from pigments that it gets in its food. The more pigment in the food, the redder the male. Females prefer to mate with the reddest male they can find.

 
Sound

Song is a hoarse warble that goes up and down rapidly. Call is a sharp "cheep."

To listen to the songs of this species click here.

Habitat

Cities, towns, suburbs; especially in areas with buildings, lawns, and small conifers; also in deserts and open forests

Food

female by Tiny Gehrke

Buds, seeds, and fruits

 Did you know?

The poop of nestling House finches is enclosed in a thin sac called a fecal sac (this is true for most birds). The parents eat the fecal sacs of the nestlings for about the first five days. When most parent songbirds stop eating the sacs, they carry the sacs away from the nest. House Finch parents don’t do this and the sacs build up around the rim of the nest.

To learn more about House Finches please visit All About Birds!