365 Urban Species. #064: House Finch
Urban species #063: House finch Carpodacus mexicanus
Like the American black duck, the house finch poses a puzzle for beginning birders. The male house finch is more or less intermediate in plumage between a female house sparrow and a male purple finch. My own difficulty in distinguishing between purple and house finches is one of the ways I am reminded that I am still a beginner. Nonetheless, thanks to cottonmanifesto's photography, we can see the male and female house finches together here.
The house finch is native to western North America, but in the early part of the twentieth century was brought to the east as a caged bird. In 1940, long after it had been made illegal to buy, sell, or transport songbirds, a shipment found its way to Long Island, New York. How the transaction went badly is lost in history, but the finches ended up flying free. By 1958 house finches were nesting in Massachusetts. Today, house finches are among the most common urban birds across the East Coast. They are always found in association with man-made landscapes and structures, nesting in shrubs, ivy, on buildings and in birdhouses. They frequently take advantage of birdfeeders, and feed on the seeds and fruits of weeds and landscaping shrubs.
male house finch
female house finch
New and improved House Finch pictures (from Early May) here: http://community.livejournal.com/birdlovers/482635.html