The house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) is a North American bird in the finch family. It is native to Mexico and southwestern United States, but has since been introduced to the eastern part of North America and Hawaiʻi; it is now found year-round in almost all parts of the United States and most of Mexico, with breeding grounds well into Canada as far north as northern Alberta. There are estimated to be 40 million house finches across North America, making it the second-most populous finch, just behind the American goldfinch. The house finch and the other two American rosefinches (Cassin's and purple finch) are placed in the genus Haemorhous.
Distribution and habitat
House finches are mainly permanent residents throughout their range; some birds migrate to the south, with adult females moving longer distances than males.
Originally only a resident of Mexico and the southwestern United States, house finches were introduced to eastern North America in the 1940s. The birds were sold illegally in New York City Sometime in the 19th century, they were introduced to Hawaiʻi and are now found on all its major islands except Niʻihau and Kahoʻolawe.
The species is labeled as invasive by some organizations.
According to the Partners in Flight database, there are estimated to be 40 million house finches across North America.
Instances of naturalization originating in escapes or releases of cage birds have been recorded in Europe, such as in 2020 in Murcia, (Spain).
<gallery class="center" mode="packed" caption="Range increase of house finch from Christmas Bird Count data">
File:Carpodacus mexicanus map history1.svg|1958–1961
File:Carpodacus mexicanus map history2.svg|1968–1971
File:Carpodacus mexicanus map history3.svg|1978–1981
File:Carpodacus mexicanus map history4.svg|1988–1990
</gallery>
Description
The house finch is a moderate-sized finch, long, with a wingspan of . Body mass can vary from , with an average weight of . Among standard measurements, the wing chord is , the tail is , the culmen is and the tarsus is .
Adults have a long, square-tipped brown tail and are a brown or dull-brown color across the back with some shading into deep gray on the wing feathers. Breast and belly feathers may be streaked; the flanks usually are. In most cases, adult males' heads, necks and shoulders are reddish. This color sometimes extends to the belly and down the back, between the wings. Male coloration varies in intensity with the seasons and is derived from the berries and fruits in its diet. As a result, the colors range from pale straw-yellow through bright orange (both rare) to deep, intense red. Adult females have brown upperparts and streaked underparts.
The house finch's songs typically consist of a series of high-pitched musical jumbles ending with a distinct high note, wheer. Calls from flight include a soft cheet or wheat, with perched birds giving a more drawn-out version.
<gallery mode="packed" heights="180px">
File:Common House Finch on Branch.jpg|Adult male
File:House finch female.jpg|Adult female
File:Carpodacus mexicanus6.jpg| Yellow variant
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Feeding
thumb|Male eating [[kousa dogwood berry]]
House finches forage on the ground or in vegetation normally. They primarily eat grains, seeds and berries, being voracious consumers of weed seeds such as nettle and dandelion; included are incidental small insects such as aphids. They are frequent visitors to bird feeders throughout the year, particularly if stocked with sunflower or nyjer seed, and will congregate at hanging nyjer sock feeders. The house finch is known to damage orchard fruit and consume commercially grown grain, but is generally considered an annoyance rather than a significant pest.
Breeding
Nests are made in cavities, including openings in buildings, hanging plants, and other cup-shaped outdoor decorations. Sometimes nests abandoned by other birds are used. Nests may be re-used for subsequent broods or in following years. The nest is built by the female, sometimes in as little as two days. and the male is the primary feeder of the fledglings (who can be differentiated from the females by the pin feathers remaining on their heads). Females are typically attracted to the males with the deepest pigment of red to their head, more so than the occasional orange or yellowish-headed males that sometimes occur. The female incubates the eggs for 12 to 14 days. Shortly after hatching, she removes the empty eggshells from the nest. The hatchlings are pink with closed eyes and tufts of fluffy down. The female always feeds the young. The male usually joins in. Initially, the mother carries fecal sacs out of the nest, but when the young become older, she no longer carries them all away, allowing droppings to accumulate around the edge of the nest. Contrary to the way most birds, even ones with herbivorous leanings as adults, tend to feed their nestlings animal matter to give them the protein necessary to grow, house finches are one of the few birds who feed their young only plant matter.<gallery mode="packed" heights="180px">
House Finches Courting and Feeding.jpg|Male house finch feeding a female as part of the courtship ritual
Carpodacus mexicanus eggs.jpg|Nest and eggs
Carpodacus mexicanus in nest.jpg|Same nest with young nestlings
Carpodacus mexicanus nestlings.jpg|Older nestlings in nest in a tree cholla
Father House finch feeds baby.jpg|Male house finch feeds a fledgling, who cheeps loudly and flaps its wings.
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Threats
thumb|A male house finch in the early morning light
The house finch may be infected by several parasites including Plasmodium relictum and Mycoplasma gallisepticum, which caused the population of house finches in eastern North America to crash during the 1990s.
The mite Pellonyssus reedi is often found on house finch nestlings, particularly for nests later in the season.
The brown-headed cowbird, a brood parasite, will lay its eggs in house finch nests, although the diet house finches feed their young is inadequate for the young cowbirds, which rarely survive.
In 2012, house finches positive for West Nile virus were found in northwestern Riverside County, CA.
Status
The house finch is assessed as "Least Concern" on the IUCN Red List due to its extensive range, increasing population trend, and large population size, none of which approach Vulnerable thresholds.
References
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Further reading
Book
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- Hill, G. E. 1993. House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). In The Birds of North America, No. 46 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists' Union.
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Thesis
<small>
- Avery ML. (1983). Development and Transmission of Methiocarb-Induced Food Aversions in Captive House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus). University of California, Davis, United States, California.
- Badyaev AV. (1998). Evolution of sexual dimorphism in birds: Ecological patterns, current selection, and ontogenetic variation. University of Montana, United States, Montana.
- Belthoff JR. (1992). Ecological and hormonal correlates of social dominance in house finches. Clemson University, United States, South Carolina.
- Farmer KL. (2006). Study of a novel host-parasite relationship: Mycoplasma gallisepticum in house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus). Auburn University, United States, Alabama.
- Gaudette MT. (1998). Modeling wetland songbird community integrity in central Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania State University, United States, Pennsylvania.
- Hamilton TR. (1991). The expansion of the eastern house finch population and its impact on populations of house sparrows, purple finches and American goldfinches. Ball State University, United States, Indiana.
- Hawley DM. (2005). Host heterogeneity and disease resistance in house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus): Integrating genetics, immunity, and social behavior. Cornell University, United States, New York.
- Hess CM. (2005). The evolution of the major histocompatibility complex in house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus). University of Washington, United States, Washington.
- Hill GE. (1991). The evolution of colorful plumage in the house finch. University of Michigan, United States, Michigan.
- Kelly TD. (1991). Impact of agroforestry plantations grown with agricultural drain water on avian abundance and diversity in the San Joaquin Valley, California. California State University, Fresno, United States, California.
- Kozlovic DR. (1997). Consequences of brood parasitism by cowbirds on house finches in a new area of sympatry. University of Toronto (Canada), Canada.
- Navara KJ. (2005). Yolk androgen deposition in two passerine species: Do females play favorites?. Auburn University, United States, Alabama.
- Randell SM. (1996). A study of avian populations and behavior at a proposed wind energy production facility near Fort Davis, Texas. Sul Ross State University, United States, Texas.
- Thakur S. (1999). Effect of high temperatures and crowding on leukocyte and parasite counts of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). California State University, Fullerton, United States, California.
- Tobin ME. (1983). Conditioned Aversions in Three Species of Fruit-Eating Birds (Finch, Robin, Starling). University of California, Davis, United States, California.
- Vanderpool KS. (1993). A model for predicting House Sparrow and House Finch ratios in urban southern California. California State University, Fullerton, United States, California.
- Vazquez-Phillips MA. (1992). Population differentiation of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) in North America and the Hawaiian Islands. University of Toronto (Canada), Canada.
- Zahn SN. (1999). Fitness correlates of different color morphs of male house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis). University of California, Santa Barbara, United States, California.
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Articles
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AnimalBehaviour67:27
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- Duckworth RA, Badyaev AV & Parlow AF. (2003). Elaborately ornamented males avoid costly parental care in the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus): A proximate perspective. Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology. vol 55, no 2. pp. 176–183.
- Duckworth RA, Mendonca MT & Hill GE. (2004). Condition-dependent sexual traits and social dominance in the house finch. Behavioral Ecology. vol 15, no 5. pp. 779–784.
- Eason PK. (1998). Predation of a female House Finch, Carpodacus mexicanus, by a Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 112, no 4. pp. 713–714.
- Gammon DE & Maurer BA. (2002). Evidence for non-uniform dispersal in the biological invasions of two naturalized North American bird species. Global Ecology & Biogeography. vol 11, no 2. pp. 155–161.
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- Gilbert WM, Nolan PM, Stoehr AM & Hil GE. (2005). Filial cannibalism at a House Finch nest. Wilson Bulletin. vol 117, no 4. pp. 413–415.
- Graham DS. (1987). Frequent Cowbird Parasitism of House Finches Carpodacus-mexicanus at Guelph Ontario Canada. Ontario Birds. vol 5, no 3. pp. 116–117.
- Graham DS. (1988). House Finch Nest-Site Selection at Guelph Ontario Canada. Condor. vol 90, no 1. pp. 58–60.
- Hill GE. (1990). Female House Finches Prefer Colorful Males Sexual Selection for a Condition-Dependent Trait. Animal Behaviour. vol 40, no 3. pp. 563–572.
- Hill GE. (1992). Proximate Basis of Variation in Carotenoid Pigmentation in Male House Finches. Auk. vol 109, no 1. pp. 1–12.
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- Hill GE. (1993 (1994)). Male mate choice and the evolution of female plumage coloration in the house finch. Evolution. vol 47, no 5. pp. 1515–1525.
- Hill GE. (1994). Geographic variation in male ornamentation and female mate preference in the house finch: A comparative test of models of sexual selection. Behavioral Ecology. vol 5, no 1. pp. 64–73.
- Hill GE. (1994). Geographic-Variation in Male Ornamentation and Female Mate Preference in the House Finch: A Comparative Test of Models of Sexual Selection. Behavioral Ecology. vol 5, no 1. pp. 64–73.
- Hill GE. (1995). Seasonal variation in circulating carotenoid pigments in the house finch. Auk. vol 112, no 4. pp. 1057–1061.
- Hill GE. (1996). Subadult plumage in the house finch and tests of models for the evolution of delayed plumage maturation. Auk. vol 113, no 4. pp. 858–874.
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External links
- Florida's Introduced Birds: House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) – University of Florida fact sheet
- House Finch - Carpodacus mexicanus - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter
- House Finch Sound
- from
