Finches

Judi Manning

House Finch

Carpodacus mexicanus

The House Finch’s original habitat was Mexico, the American Southwest, and California. They can survive many types of habitats, ranging from the desert up to 6,000 feet in the mountains. They spread into British Columbia and were transplanted to Hawaii. In 1940, cage-bird dealers who were illegally selling California born house finches as 'Hollywood Finches' released them in New York. They quickly spread rapidly inland with the first house finch reported nesting in Michigan in 1981.

They increased their numbers rapidly, reaching their peak in 1994-1995. Carl and Judi had their first house finch in January, 1979. They have become susceptible to salmonella and conjunctivitis. They are also preyed upon by the Sharp-Shined Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk, and Eastern Screech Owl, all of which have stabilized their numbers.

The birds have color differences in different regions. The more humid the environment, the more brightly colored the bird will be. In the same region, the house finch can vary from red to orange or yellow. Eastern birds have evolved to have shorter wings, shorter tails, shorter legs and toes, and bigger bills than the western birds. They also have distinct regional vocabularies. California birds have more variety in their songs.

They do very well where the environment has been modified by humans: suburbs, college campuses and industrial parks, which has contributed to their population explosion.

The open cup nest, made of all kinds of things, is built by the female in tree forks, tree cavities, cholla cactus, shrubs, building ledges, beams, stovepipes, tin cans and abandoned bird nests, hanging plants, and inside garages, where it competes with the House Sparrow.

Purple Finch

Carpodacus purpureus

The Purple Finch is found in coniferous forests and northern hardwoods, mixed conifers, and the edges of the forests. They are quite common in moist areas where balsam, fir, white cedar, hemlocks, spruces, and white pine are dominant. They can be found at feeders eating sunflower seeds and various millets. Where they are seen each winter varies from year to year depending on the availability and abundance of natural foods on their breeding grounds.

They breed in coniferous and mixed forests of northern North America from northeastern U.S. to the Pacific Coast and south to Baja, California. In Michigan, they breed in the northern two-thirds of the Lower Peninsula and are much more common in the Upper Peninsula. In winter they are found from their breeding range to as far south as Texas and Florida.

To attract a mate, the male often raises in the air in full song and executes an elaborate fluttering dance. Their shallow cup nest is found on a horizontal conifer branch toward the end of the branches 5 to 60 feet off the ground. After the young have fledged, they are found in flocks of more females and young than males.

The young males may be paler and pinker then the older males in the east. Older females may have some pink on their breast and can be mistaken for young males.

Table 1

 Michigan’s 30 Most Common Feeder Count Birds
(Taken verbatim from Summary from Michigan Winter Bird Feeder Survey, 1998-1999, Kalamazoo Nature Center Winter Feeder Count)

Species

mean #/feeder

1994 -1995

1995 -1996

1996 -1997

1997 -1998

1998 -1999

House Finch

7.24

6.15

4.73

4.09

4.63

Purple Finch

1.75

1.02

1.29

0.69

1.39

Table 2

Comparison of Purple and House Finch

PURPLE FINCH

HOUSE FINCH

Range

East half of N. Dakota south to the east half of Texas, east to the Atlantic Ocean and up to Canada; across the northern boreal forest in Canada and along the Pacific Ocean from WA south to CA

Entire US

Length

5.5  - 6.25 inches - stockier

5 - 5.75 inches (House Sparrow size)

Tails

Strongly notched

Not deeply notched, longer in proportion to body size

Bill

Stubbier and more curved

Short and stubby

Voice

Fast, lively musical warbling, chewee In flight, a sharp pick

High pitched song of varied 3-note phrases; ends in nasal wheer

Habitat

Edges of conifer forests; woods, groves and in the winter, suburbs

Cities, suburbs, farms

Socialization

Territorial during breeding season; in large flocks after young have fledged

Social birds; nest close together

Nutrition

Eats buds, seeds, wild fruits, insects

Eats insect pests. In the winter, grass and weed seeds

Nest

Shallow made cup nest of fine twigs, grasses and rootlets often lined with hair and grasses.

well made cup nest of grass, vegetation, fur and string

Eggs

4 - 5 blue-green eggs spotted at the larger end with dark brown

3 - 4 pale blue eggs lightly spotted with black; breeds 2 to 4 times each summer

Nesting period

They nest May through July

They nesting March through August

ADULT FEMALE:

Back Color and Pattern

The basic color of the back is usually reddish, varying from deep maroon to pale rosy. On birds in very worn plumage, the broad streaking is not very conspicuous

Back dull brownish, sometimes washed with reddish with long, broad blurry streaks all over that do not show much contrast

Facial Pattern

Strong facial pattern, heavy dark malar stripe, heavy dark patch on ear coverts, sharply set off by whitish lines above and below

Practically no facial pattern; (bland) lacks ear patch and lacks eyebrow

Under Tail Coverts

Usually no streaks

Broad dark streaks

Pattern of Upperparts

Brownish; olive-brown in western populations

Medium dusty brown; paler than purple finch with long, broad streaks that are not very conspicuous

ADULT MALE:

Head pattern

Entire head evenly colored with dull purplish rose, varying only with the underlying brown pattern of darker ear coverts, nape and crown

Bright red throat, supercilium and forehead, contrasting with the duller and browner crown, nape and ear coverts

Breast Pattern

Vague streaking, dark purplish red breast color

Heavy brown streaks on flanks and lower breast below bib. If they are in worn plumage, the streaks on the under parts can become indistinct. Bright red bib, dark stripes on sides and belly

Color

Rose red all over; more raspberry than purple rump

Front of head red, rump also red, but can vary

 

References for Finch Article:

  1. Advanced Birding, Pgs. 267-273

  2. Audubon Land Bird Guide, Richard H. Pough, 1949, House Finch, Pg. 225; Purple Finch, Pg . 224

  3. Enjoying Birds in Michigan, Michigan Audubon book, Pg. 98

  4. Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Pg. 448

  5. Peterson Field Guide, Eastern Birds, Roger Tory Peterson, Pg. 270

  6. Summary from Michigan Winter Bird Feeder Survey, 1998-1999

  7. The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Michigan, Richard Brewer, et al, House Finch, Geoffrey E. Hill Pgs. 515, 516; Purple Finch, David N. Ewert, Pg. 516

  8. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds, Western Region, House Finch, Pg. 588; Purple Finch Pg. 723
    The Common House Finch Is a Rare Bird Indeed, Michael Harwood, National Audubon, 1/81


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