Song not available

House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)

Length 5½ in., wingspan 9½ in., Family Fringillidae

 House Finch females and immature (first-summer) males are plain, streaky brown birds, but the brown of adult males is topped by fire-engine red on head, breast and rump. Rarely, a male has orange or yellow instead of red.

 House Finches were once only found in the western U.S. and Mexico, but in the 1940s, a caged flock from California was set free on Long Island, New York. The descendants of the freed birds now dwell in most eastern states, and their population is rapidly spreading westward. House finches can be seen year-round throughout the United States.

How did the House Finch get its name? It is especially numerous around houses in urban and suburban areas. It also lives in open woods. 

Tip: House Finch and Purple Finch are often mistaken for one another, because both are brown birds whose male individuals have splashes of similar bright color. However, the female House Finch has much duller markings than the sharp white and brown streaks of the female Purple, and the male House Finch flashes pure red compared to the male Purple’s raspberry-rose head, breast and rump.