See all posts in the Birds of Carver County series
The House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) was originally a bird of the western United States and Mexico.
As that population has expanded eastward, an east coast group has also slowly reached us. A male House Finch was observed and photographed at a feeder in Minneapolis in December 1983. This was the first fully documented (with photograph) record for the state.
House Finches are almost 6 inches long with a 10-inch wingspan. The species has a slightly downcurved and conical bill that is built for cracking open seeds.
Their backs and tails are brown, and their sides are streaked. The male has a red head, throat and breast. Until they mature, male juveniles are colored like females.
Birds can’t make bright red or yellow colors directly. The red of a male House Finch comes from pigments contained in its food. So, the more pigment in the food, the redder the male. This is why people sometimes see orange or yellowish male House Finches. Females prefer to mate with the reddest male they can find.
Male Purple Finches may be confused with House Finches, but their color is better described as “raspberry” and that color is also on their wings, sides and back. See the comparison photo in this article. Female Purple Finches have bold brown and white facial pattern that differentiates them from House Finches.
The species is almost exclusively associated with urban areas, small towns and farms. They nest in or on buildings, using sites like vents, ledges, streetlamps, ivy and hanging planters. Occasionally House Finches use the abandoned nests of other birds.
Pair bonding occurs during winter as they travel in flocks. Once they are paired, they stay together for at least a complete season and sometimes continue for several years.
More than one brood may be raised each year. Nestlings are fed only by the male parent, while the female builds another nest.
House Finches have an incubation period of 13 to 14 days, and the young fledge two to three weeks later. Nestlings are fed exclusively plant foods, a fairly rare occurrence in the bird world.
Males immediately start learning to sing House Finch songs. Adult males will sing throughout the year and produce five to 15 songs per minute whenever they’re in the mood. Females will sing early in their breeding season – April to July.
A highly social bird, the House Finch is rarely seen alone outside of the breeding season. Having many of them at seed feeders may produce a lot of birdsongs but may not be a good thing for the birds.
The most significant mortality factor for House Finches has been the species’ susceptibility to mycoplasmal conjunctivitis, commonly referred to as House Finch eye disease. Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis was first documented in eastern house finches. The disease has been seen in other songbird species, including the American Goldfinch and Purple Finch. Infected birds exhibit signs like red, swollen eyelids and crusts may form along the edges of the eyelids. The eyes of severely affected birds may become swollen shut leading to blindness. In severe cases, the infection can cause facial paralysis, leading to a head tilt.
To prevent or minimize transmission among songbirds, routine cleaning of bird feeders and avoiding feeders with large ports that birds can rub their heads against can help. Use of bird feeders should be stopped for at least two weeks if an outbreak of Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis occurs. Humans and non-avian pets are not susceptible to Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis. More information from Cornell Wildlife Health Lab: LINK.
House Finches in Carver County are familiar to most of us with bird feeders. They might not have been seen by our grandparents, but with our help at preventing illness, they could be providing their songs here for many more generations.
For more information:
- The Sibley Guide to Birds, David Allen Sibley
- Reader’s Digest Book of North American Birds
- Birds of Minnesota, Robert B. Janssen
- Breeding Birds of Minnesota, Pfannmuller, Niemi and Green
- The Audubon Society’s Encyclopedia of North American Birds, John K. Terres
- Birds of the World, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Online: All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology LINK
- Online: Minnesota Breeding Bird Atlas
