Saturday, April 04, 2009

The House Finch

A small flock of House Finches
live in the Forsythia bushes that form the hedge across my backyard.

The males are in their vivid spring color.



It is easy to mistake the House Finch for the Purple Finch.



The male House Finch has stripes on his tummy
and is a little bit smaller than the Purple Finch.


They have a very cute call.
The females are plain faced and have a striped belly.


The House Finches are part of my backyard bird family.

17 comments:

Meems said...

So beautiful. We don't have them here and it is so nice to see them up close in all their intricate detail.
Meems @ Hoe and Shovel

Anonymous said...

Your house finch male looks super super red. He's pretty and down to earth.

marmee said...

dear sherry,

oh no have i mistaken my finches. is this your gentle way of telling me the correct species>? if so i don't mind i would much rather get it right. your gorgeous photos show off their beautiful colours so well. it is so wonderful to have so many different kinds of birds visit our backyards especially when they come in big groups.
have a wonderful day with your bird friends.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

Yes, we have a small contingent of HOFI at our house too. They are kept at a small flock by the illness they get from time to time. Sad to see but it seems like a fact of life for them despite my trying to keep the feeders clean. They must pick it up elsewhere and bring it here.

Q said...

Dear Meems,
I enjoyed watching this male prance about for the female.
I think she likes him. Nesting is happening with so many of the birds now.
I am looking forward to following your gardens this year.
Sherry

Q said...

Dear Bernie,
The male House Finch was as bright as I have ever seen them. I took a break from cleaning out a flower bed and sat on the deck with the birds.
Sherry

Q said...

Dear Marmee,
Oh my goodness! No, I did not know you had posted photographs of the House Finch. LOL! We are connected.
The Males are so bright right now I think they are beautiful! I do have a few pairs of Purple Finches that come to the feeders. I hope to do a bird report on them soon.
One of the joys of blogging is all the learning we can do. I also like to know the "right" id. Lisa, from Greenbow, is very wonderful at knowing the birds. I still look up many! I finally am able to know the House Finch by the tummy stripes!
I love the birds. I love seeing yours as well.
Happy backyard birding!
Sherry

Q said...

Dear Lisa,
Even with clean feeders the House Finches do get the eye disease. Some years I have more birds than other years. Right now there seems to be about 10 birds.
Sherry

Cheryl said...

Dear Sherry.....they are a delightful little bird.....and the male is so colourful.
I saw a purple finch on another blog the other day, and I must say they are so similar...

The female has the makings of a thrush......she is very pretty.....

Pat@Back Porch Musings said...

We have Purple Finch at the condo. They nest in a silk fuscia, hanging on the deck. We can't have real flowers, at the condo, because we don't know when we'll be there to care for them. I bought the fuscia last year and as soon as we put it on the deck the birds were there building their nest. We put it out for them, while we were at the lake, this time. But, for some reason, they are liking the silk ficus and palm, by the elevator, this year!!

When will the Hummingbirds return?

Mary said...

Can't complain about the House Finches. They are quiet and sweet. There's a few eggs on my porch again!

Sheila said...

I hang a planter of red flowers on my front porch most summers, and we get house finches nesting in the planter.
If the flowers are any other colour they don't nest there.I guess they know it is camouflage for them. Smart little things..!

mon@rch said...

I just love these red colors in them!

kkryno said...

These finches are so sweet. We have a variety of them here, along with the red polls. They make such a ruckus at the feeders! It's not like they are ever without! I really love looking out at this bunch as I wash my dishes,

:)

Anonymous said...

Finches are lovely. We don't have them here unfortunately but they're one of the most beautiful small birds I've seen on photos. I love their beaks especially. Oh and I wish we had orioles too..

Anonymous said...

They are adorable and cheery. I always listen for birds when I'm outside. It makes me feel like I'm not alone. Your finches do look boastful and proud.

Wendy said...

They are an adorable couple! Nice clear pics too.
Hugs