Where’s Wildlife · Bird Field Guide
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
Pronounced (approx.): HEE-moh-russ mek-sih-KAY-nus
A social seed-eating finch often seen at feeders, in parks, and around buildings.
Three Identification Clues
A small finch with a thick, curved-profile bill and a shallowly notched tail.
Adult males usually have red on the face and breast, with brown streaks along the sides.
Females are gray-brown with blurry streaks below and a relatively plain face.
Field Photographs
Showing 8 of 14 photographs.
Beyond the first impression
Plumage & Identification
Use the brown pattern as well as the red
Adult males usually concentrate brighter color on the face, upper chest, and rump, with brown streaking elsewhere. Females and immature males have a fairly plain face and blurry streaks below. The stout bill and comparatively shallow notch in the tail help complete the identification. [1]
Similar yard birds deserve careful comparison
A brown finch is easy to overlook beside a colorful male. Compare its face and underpart markings with our House Sparrow guide. Purple and Cassin's Finches are other important comparisons in Cornell's identification gallery; redness alone does not separate the finches. [1]
Life history
How This Bird Lives
Where to look
Watch trees and wires above a feeding area as well as the feeder itself. House Finches are social and often perch together between meals. In the West, natural habitats also include desert vegetation, grasslands, and open woods, not just neighborhoods. [2]
Food & foraging
Seeds, buds, and fruits make up almost all of the diet. Birds crush seeds with repeated movements of their heavy bills and may linger while feeding. They also use weed stalks and fruiting plants, rather than depending entirely on a tray of seed. [2] [1]
A flexible choice of nest site
A tree, hanging planter, cactus, or building ledge can support the cup. Fine stems and other plant fibers form the structure, with softer materials inside. A nest near people can still be disturbed, so give occupied sites room. [2]
Clutches contain 2–6 eggs. Incubation takes about 13–14 days, and chicks remain in the nest roughly 12–19 days. They hatch with closed eyes and only sparse down, very different from a newly hatched duckling. [2]
Did you know?
A Closer Look at House Finches
Feathers reflect food during molt
A male's red, orange, or yellowish color is influenced by pigments in the food eaten while feathers grow. Those differences do not automatically mean different species or distinct eastern and western forms. [3]
Plant food for the chicks too
House Finches raise their nestlings on plant foods. That is unusual among songbirds: many species that eat seeds as adults switch to animal food when feeding fast-growing young. [3]
Native in one region, introduced in another
The species originated in western North America. The eastern population grew from captive birds released on Long Island in 1940, an important distinction behind this guide's regional native-status note. [3]
Sources: [1] Cornell · Identification [2] Cornell · Life history [3] Cornell · Species overview
Range & Sightings
Seasonal Range
View Range Map ↗Recorded Observations
Observation records are not a complete seasonal range map.
iNaturalist observation map ↗