House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
Also called red finch.
Originally a western bird, released in New York in the 1940s and now everywhere. The red varies from scarlet to orange to yellow depending entirely on what the bird ate while moulting.
- Size
- Sparrow-sized — 12–15 cm
- Bill
- Short and conical
- Where
- feeder, yard, city
- Season
- year round
What it looks like
The male has a red forehead, throat and chest over a streaky grey-brown body, with brown streaking continuing down the flanks. The female is plain streaky brown with a blurry face pattern.
The checks that confirm it
- Red confined to the head and chest, with brown streaking on the flanks below it.
- A curved upper edge to the conical bill.
- Female: plain brown with blurred streaking and no strong face pattern.
- Red can be orange or yellow — diet, not a different species.
Voice
A long warbling jumble ending in a harsh upward 'wheer'.
Attracting it
Black oil sunflower and nyjer. They are among the most reliable feeder birds anywhere.
Confused with
Raspberry colour washing over the whole head and back rather than confined to the chest, unstreaked flanks, and a straighter bill.
Far larger, crested, entirely red, with a heavy orange bill.
Questions about this bird
How do you identify a house finch?
Red confined to the head and chest, with brown streaking on the flanks below it. A curved upper edge to the conical bill.
What does a house finch sound like?
A long warbling jumble ending in a harsh upward 'wheer'.
How do you attract a house finch?
Black oil sunflower and nyjer. They are among the most reliable feeder birds anywhere.