House Sparrow vs House Finch
The check that settles it
Male house finch is red on the head and chest, not black-bibbed; female is streaked below.
House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
- Size
- 14–18 cm
- Bill
- conical
- Where
- city, feeder, yard
- Voice
- A monotonous, endlessly repeated 'cheep, cheep'. Not a song so much as a statement.
House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
- Size
- 12–15 cm
- Bill
- conical
- Where
- feeder, yard, city
- Voice
- A long warbling jumble ending in a harsh upward 'wheer'.
Confirming a house sparrow
- Male: a black bib and a grey crown with a chestnut band behind the eye.
- Female: plain buff-brown, unstreaked below, with a pale stripe behind the eye and no facial pattern.
- Almost always around buildings, car parks and pavements rather than in cover.
Confirming 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.
- Female: plain brown with blurred streaking and no strong face pattern.
- Red can be orange or yellow — diet, not a different species.