Search  Advanced Search About Birds Birds are warm-blooded Birds lay eggs Birds incubate their eggs with heat from their bodies Birds care for their young Birds have beaks and no teeth Birds are covered with feathers Birds have wings Most birds can fly Birds have stong hollow bones Birds are vertebrates		House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus Birds Information Sightings Map | Observed Behaviors Common Names -  House Finch Larva Names -  Not Applicable Scientific Name -  Carpodacus mexicanus Kingdom -  Animalia (Animals) Phylum -  Chordata (Chordates) Class -  Aves (Birds) Order -  Passeriformes (Perching Birds) Family -  Fringillidae (Buntings, Finches, Grosbeaks, Sparrows) Genus -  Carpodacus Species -  mexicanus General Description -  The House Finch is a small sized perching songbird with the heavy beak characteristic of all finches. Male Description -  Male House Finches are distinguished by the bright red feathers that cover their heads, breast and backs. Wings and tail feathers are brown or grey with darker streaks. Undersides are light in color and also streaked with brown. Male Length -  5 to 6 inches Male Weight -  0.6 to 0.8 ounces Male Wingspan -  8 to 10 inches Female Description -  Females are brown or grey, and lack the red coloration of the males. Female Length -  5 to 6 inches Female Weight -  0.6 to 0.8 ounces Female Wingspan -  8 to 10 inches Age of Maturity -  1 year of age Breeding Season -  March through August Mating Rituals -  Mating rituals begin in winter with the courtship songs and aerial displays performed by the male. Courtship feedings are also common. Females prefer males with bright red coloration. Mates per Season -  1 mate per season Nest Description -  Nesting occurs relatively close to the ground in thick brush, or in natural or man-made cavities. Nests are constructed in an open-cup form with grasses, hair and other similar materials. Nest Location -  Nests are usually found at a height of 4 to 12 feet above the ground. Nest Building -  Nest building is the responsibility of the female House Finch. Eggs per Clutch -  3 to 6 eggs Egg Description -  Eggs are light blue with a small number of dark flecks on the large end. Egg Size -  0.75 inches long by 0.5 inches wide Incubation -  12 to 17 days. Gestation -  Not Applicable Brood Size -  3 to 6 chicks Broods per Season -  1 to 3 broods per season Care of Young -  Chicks are fed by both parents. Juvenile Diet -  Not Available Feeding Frequency -  Not Available Larval Stage -  Not Applicable Newborn Description -  Helpless with some down Newborn Length -  Not Available Newborn Weight -  Not Available Newborn Wingspan -  Not Available Juvenile Description -  Juveniles have coloration similar to a female. Juvenile Length -  Not Available Juvenile Weight -  Not Available Juvenile Wingspan -  Not Available Pupal Stage -  Not Applicable Pupa Description -  Not Applicable Pupa Length -  Not Applicable Pupa Weight -  Not Applicable Age of Independence -  Fledgling House Finches begin to leave the nest at 12 to 19 days after hatching, but will continue to be fed by the male while the female builds a new nest for the next brood. Newly independent juveniles will often flock together. Lifespan -  Up to 11 years Active -  Active during the day Sleep -  Sleeps at night Shelter -  Not Available Hibernation -  Not Applicable Feeding Habits -  House Finches will often gather into groups when feeding on the ground. Frequently seen at bird feeders. Diet -  Seeds, grains, buds, fruits and to a lesser degree insects. In DFW Area -  Year-round Spring Migration -  Not Available Fall Migration -  Not Available Habitat -  Cities and residential areas. House Finches are also found in open deserts, grasslands, and wooded areas throughout their range. Observation Tips -  The male House Finch is often seen perched atop a house singing its joyful warble. Male Sounds -  Song is a joyful warble. Males sing frequently, especially during courtship, nest building and brood rearing. Calls include cheeps and kweets. Female Sounds -  Not Available Observed Behaviors Sort by  Observation Behavior Type City Time of Year Observation - House Finch 1.1 Behavior Type - Vocalizing City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - The House Finch's song is a joyous warble. These flighty birds move around frequently, never staying in one spot for long. This male finch is puffing up his feathers in preparation for preening...more Observation - House Finch 1.2 Behavior Type - Grooming City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - Birds have an amazing ability to contort their bodies in order to thoroughly groom themselves. This little House Finch has twisted his head all the way around in order to reach the feathers on his back...more Observation - House Finch 1.3 Behavior Type - Grooming City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - This House Finch has just completed a thorough preening of his feathers, and has now begun working to clean his toes...more Observation - House Finch 2.1 Behavior Type - Other City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - I believe that the House Finch may be a relative newcomer to the Dallas / Fort Worth Area. I see them all over the place these days, but I don't recall ever seeing a House Finch as a child, even though I am...more Observation - House Finch 3.1 Behavior Type - Vocalizing City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - The male House Finch loves to sing. Their songs will often continue even when the bird is flying from perch to perch. Residential rooftops provide a perfect place for the House Finch to perform...more Observation - House Finch 4.1 Behavior Type - Roaming City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - This House Finch was flying from house to house in our neighborhood, when quite to his surprise he engaged in a bit of a barge in and landed right next to this female Mourning Dove incubating her eggs. The House...more Observation - House Finch 5.1 Behavior Type - Roaming City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - This picture provides a nice comparison of the brightly colored male House Finch at the bottom of the picture and the less colorful female at the top...more Observation - House Finch 5.2 Behavior Type - Roaming City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - Another view of a male (bottom) and female (top) House Finch together...more Observation - House Finch 6.1 Behavior Type - Grooming City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - The House Finch is a dainty little bird, but if you watch one long enough you are sure to see it puff itself up into a round little ball, and vigorously shake off any dirt that may have collected on his feathers...more Observation - House Finch 6.2 Behavior Type - Grooming City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - This male House Finch is just beginning to puff himself up. He going to get bigger...more Observation - House Finch 6.3 Behavior Type - Grooming City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - This male House Finch is fully puffed out...more Observation - House Finch 7.1 Behavior Type - Nesting City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - For several days I had noticed a pair of House Finches flying to and from the top of this bush just off of my front porch. Typically, just standing next to the bush for longer than a few seconds would cause a bird...more Observation - House Finch 7.2 Behavior Type - Nesting City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - The House Finches were indeed nesting in the bush off my front porch, and when I examined the nest more carefully I discovered an unexpected surprise. The nest contained three light blue House Finch eggs, but...more Observation - House Finch 7.3 Behavior Type - Nesting City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - The eggs in this picture have been rearranged since I photographed the nest the day before. This rearrangement indicates that the House Finches have been actively caring for all of the eggs (including the...more Observation - House Finch 7.4 Behavior Type - Nesting City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - On the fourth day of observation the Brown-headed Cowbird egg hatched, giving the already larger cowbird juvenile even more of an competitive advantage over its soon to come House Finch nest mates...more Observation - House Finch 7.5 Behavior Type - Nesting City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - On the fifth day of observation the Brown-headed Cowbird's egg is still the only one to have hatched. This gives the cowbird juvenile a two day head start over House Finch eggs. Further, the survival...more Observation - House Finch 7.6 Behavior Type - Nesting City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - Here the Brown-headed Cowbird is compelled to beg for food by the approach of my camera...more Observation - House Finch 7.7 Behavior Type - Nesting City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - Though the Brown-headed Cowbird nestling had survived for almost two full days, it nonetheless gave me the impression of being sickly or weak during this observation...more Observation - House Finch 7.8 Behavior Type - Nesting City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - On the sixth day of observation the situation in the nest changed radically. On this day there were only two of the three House Finch eggs remaining. In spite of this development, there was still only one...more Observation - House Finch 7.9 Behavior Type - Nesting City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - A closer look of photographs from the last two days of observations revealed some subtle differences between the juvenile birds in each photograph. Look carefully at the juvenile on the left. Its...more Observation - House Finch 7.10 Behavior Type - Nesting City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - The seventh day of observation finally cleared up a good deal of the mystery. All of the House Finch eggs had hatched, and it is was immediately apparent that the three juvenile birds all had the same, coarser...more Observation - House Finch 7.11 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - The mother House Finch...more Observation - House Finch 7.12 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - The male House Finch (the father)...more Observation - House Finch 7.13 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - It is hard to distinguish the individual birds sometimes in the jumble of beaks and feathers, but there are three healthy, approximately 2 day old House Finch juveniles in this picture...more Observation - House Finch 7.14 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - On the ninth day of observation the 3 juvenile House Finch are continuing to do well...more Observation - House Finch 7.15 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Mid Spring (Apr 21 - May 20) Details - The tenth day of observation. The juvenile House Finches are growing rapidly, and are already beginning to fill up the nest...more Observation - House Finch 7.16 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - The eleventh day of observation...more Observation - House Finch 7.17 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - On the twelfth day of observation, and the seventh day since hatching, the juvenile House Finches are beginning to get their pinfeathers...more Observation - House Finch 7.18 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - The thirteenth day of observation, and the pinfeathers are growing rapidly...more Observation - House Finch 7.19 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - The fourteenth day of observation, and the ninth day since hatching...more Observation - House Finch 7.20 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - The baby bird's eyes opened on the Fifteenth day of observation... the tenth days since hatching...more Observation - House Finch 7.21 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - Confusing the camera for mom or dad, this baby bird demonstrates typical juvenile feeding behavior...more Observation - House Finch 7.22 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - Eleven days since hatching and the feathers are coming in nicely...more Observation - House Finch 7.23 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - Twelve days since hatching, and the nest is a jumble of new feathers...more Observation - House Finch 7.24 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - Looking more like adult birds on the thirteenth day since hatching...more Observation - House Finch 7.25 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - Still doing well on the fourteenth day since hatching...more Observation - House Finch 7.26 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - Running out of room in the nest on the fifteenth day since hatching...more Observation - House Finch 7.27 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - Almost fully feathered on the sixteenth day since hatching...more Observation - House Finch 7.28 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - At 17 days of age these juvenile House Finches are preparing to leave the nest...more Observation - House Finch 7.29 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - The female House Finch (the mother) visiting the nest...more Observation - House Finch 7.30 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - Eighteen days since hatching, and the juveniles no longer fit in their nest...more Observation - House Finch 7.31 Behavior Type - Care of Young City - Carrollton Time of Year - Late Spring (May 21 - Jun 20) Details - After 23 days of observation, and 18 days since the House Finch babies hatched, the nest is empty. Of note is how well the parent bird maintained the nest during the rearing of the young. Egg fragments...more
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