An Alliance for the Animals
  • Home
    • SiteMap
  • APAL
    • A-PAL History >
      • A-PAL Humane Society Leadership Team
      • APAL Leadership Opportunities
    • APAL Programs >
      • Save the Kittens
      • Spay or Neuter
      • Second Chance K9 >
        • TCK9-2014 Graduates
      • Community Cats >
        • Understanding Feral Cats
        • How to Trap a Feral Cat
      • Special Needs >
        • Special Needs Stories
      • Adopt a Friend
      • Trap-Neuter-Return
      • APAL Tracking Our Progress
    • Support A-PAL >
      • Volunteer for APAL
      • Foster for A-Pal
      • Donate to A-PAL >
        • Donate your Car
        • Giving Tuesday 2020
      • A-PAL Wish List
      • A-PAL Facility Sponsor
    • APAL Events >
      • APAL Calendar
      • APAL Past Events >
        • SantaPaws2019
        • Bark in the Park 2019
        • Whiskers and Wine 2017
        • Whiskers and Wine 2014
        • Bark in the Park 2014
        • Whiskers and Wine 2015
        • Bark In The Park 2015
        • Maui Raffle
        • Santa Paws 2015
    • Partners >
      • Shelter Partners >
        • Shelter Partners on TSPN
        • Dec14News-PitBulls
        • Jan15News-Excel
        • Feb15News-BenefitsOfPets
        • Feb15News-HarmfulAlgaeBlooms
        • Mar15News-Hoarding
        • Apr15News-TNR
        • Sep15News-QAMargeB
        • Oct15News-ButteFire
        • Oct15News-Bats
        • Nov15News-SeparationAnxiety
        • Dec15News-Tips4Treats
        • Jan16-Volunteer
        • Apr16-TNR
        • July16News-Center
        • Sep16News-ACART
        • Nov17News-ServiceDogs
      • ACART >
        • Prepare
        • Volunteer
        • ACART Annual Banquet
        • ACART Wish List
  • TCWC
    • Find an animal in need? >
      • Audio Wildlife Tips
      • WhereAreWe
    • TCWC History >
      • TCWC Leadership Team
      • TCWC Leadership Opportunities
    • Wildlife Programs >
      • Education >
        • TCWC Education Events >
          • TCWC Education Animals
        • WildlifeSavesUs
        • Living Wildlife Friendly >
          • Songbird Concert Tips
          • Holiday Trash
          • Alert Your Birds
          • Water to Help the Critters!
          • Bread is for Sandwiches
          • No Dogs Allowed
          • Repurpose to Feed the Birds
          • GoNative
          • Netting It Out
          • Balloons
          • E-Waste
          • Organic Food
          • AllThatGlitters
          • Fly Strips and Glue Traps
          • Toxic Household Products
          • Recycling Pumpkins
          • Tree Trimming Tips
          • Saving Venomous Species
        • Nuisance Wildlife >
          • Nuisance-SayNoToTrapping
          • Foxlights
          • Wildproof Your Home
        • Gold Country Critters
        • Keep Them Wild and Free
        • TCWC Videos
        • Points to Ponder
      • TCWC-Tracking Our Progress >
        • TCWC 2014 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2015 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2016 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2017 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2018 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2019 Impact Report
      • TCWC Patients >
        • Success Stories >
          • 1 - Opossum Call
          • 2 - Raccoon Behind the Grill!
          • 3 - Saving a Raven
          • LongTripHome
          • Anita's Bird Comes Home
          • College the Wild Way
          • Releases
        • TCWC Critter Show
    • TCWC Events >
      • TCWC Calendar >
        • GivingTuesday2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeClasses2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeWorkshop2020
        • Paws&Claws2020
      • Past TCWC Events >
        • Paws & Claws 2019
        • No Dinner-Dinner
        • Paws&Claws 2018
        • AnimalScapes
        • Paws & Claws 2016
        • TCWC Grand Opening
        • Wildlife Workshop 2014
        • Paws & Claws 2014
        • Hot Rod Heaven 2014
        • Paws & Claws 2015
        • Paws&Claws2017
        • Paws&Claws2018
        • TCWC-No Shower Baby Shower
    • Support TCWC >
      • Giving >
        • Shop-Create
        • TCWC Wish List
        • Donate to TCWC >
          • DonateCarToTCWC
      • Volunteer at TCWC
      • TCWC Supporters
      • Sponsor a TCWC Critter
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Volunteer
  • Paws News
    • PawsPartners Social Feed
    • Newsletters >
      • TCWC Newsletter
      • A-PAL Newsletter
      • ShelterPartnersNews
    • Blog
  • Gratitude
    • TCWC-Gratitude >
      • BusinessSupporters
      • Our Volunteers
      • InMemoriam >
        • Cockrill
        • Glenyce
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliations
    • Links >
      • ContentSubmissionForm
    • Critter Chronicles >
      • Watson
      • Don't Fawn!
      • Art - the Cooper's Hawk
      • Mugsy-CommunityCat
      • Trash Kitty!
      • Gretchen&Ginger
      • MajesticBird
      • DuckTherapy
      • MrJunco
      • TheOddCouple
      • The Twins
      • WillToSurvive
      • MeetMandy
      • Furrever - Chloe
      • Charlie the Corgi
    • Kids
    • Shop >
      • Learn More >
        • Promote Our Store
        • Submit Art
      • Volunteer Gear
      • Shop These Stores
      • Shop PawsPartners
      • Shop TCWC
      • Shop A-PAL Humane Society
    • Site Credits

July 2015 - the House Finch

Carpodacus mexicanus

House Finches are one of the most common birds seen in backyards. Some captive house finches were released near New York City in 1941 after failed attempts to sell them illegally as caged birds. As a result, they have spread rapidly across the United States and Canada. The population in North America is estimated between 267 million and 1.4 billion individuals. You can’t miss these guys!

New birders often have a hard time identifying small, brown birds. So many songbirds fit into this category that birders have named them “LBJ’s” or “Little Brown Jobs”. House finches pose identification problems since males and females do not look alike. This is called dimorphism.

Male House Finches commonly have red feathering on their head, breast and rump. The female is a plain streaky brown. To complicate identification even more, once in a while, you will see a house finch with yellow or orange feathering. They acquire this coloration from pigments, known as carotenoids, in the plant foods they eat as do most birds with red, orange or yellow pigmented feathers. The bright coloring indicates a better diet and these are more likely to mate and have offspring.

House Finches are strictly vegetarian eating a variety of seeds, buds, fruits and many green plants. They are one of the rare birds to feed their nestlings only plant foods.

These are very social birds and form flocks of dozens or even hundreds. Rarely do you see just one. They commonly feed at your backyard feeders or in weedy lots. They consume seeds from wild mustard, knotweed, thistle and many more. Stock your feeders with black oil sunflower seeds, millet and milo and their short, thick bills will consume as many seeds as you put out and fill your garden with their jumbled song.

Keep your feeders clean! Every one or two weeks, wash your feeders in soapy water, and disinfect them with a 10% bleach solution (one part bleach to nine parts water). House finches are very susceptible to conjunctivitis or pink eye. Just like in humans, it is very contagious. Keeping your feeders clean will help these “little brown jobs” stay healthy.
Learn More!
Nat Geo
Audubon
Cornell


Visit our other Gold Country Critters
site map

Search
  • Home
    • SiteMap
  • APAL
    • A-PAL History >
      • A-PAL Humane Society Leadership Team
      • APAL Leadership Opportunities
    • APAL Programs >
      • Save the Kittens
      • Spay or Neuter
      • Second Chance K9 >
        • TCK9-2014 Graduates
      • Community Cats >
        • Understanding Feral Cats
        • How to Trap a Feral Cat
      • Special Needs >
        • Special Needs Stories
      • Adopt a Friend
      • Trap-Neuter-Return
      • APAL Tracking Our Progress
    • Support A-PAL >
      • Volunteer for APAL
      • Foster for A-Pal
      • Donate to A-PAL >
        • Donate your Car
        • Giving Tuesday 2020
      • A-PAL Wish List
      • A-PAL Facility Sponsor
    • APAL Events >
      • APAL Calendar
      • APAL Past Events >
        • SantaPaws2019
        • Bark in the Park 2019
        • Whiskers and Wine 2017
        • Whiskers and Wine 2014
        • Bark in the Park 2014
        • Whiskers and Wine 2015
        • Bark In The Park 2015
        • Maui Raffle
        • Santa Paws 2015
    • Partners >
      • Shelter Partners >
        • Shelter Partners on TSPN
        • Dec14News-PitBulls
        • Jan15News-Excel
        • Feb15News-BenefitsOfPets
        • Feb15News-HarmfulAlgaeBlooms
        • Mar15News-Hoarding
        • Apr15News-TNR
        • Sep15News-QAMargeB
        • Oct15News-ButteFire
        • Oct15News-Bats
        • Nov15News-SeparationAnxiety
        • Dec15News-Tips4Treats
        • Jan16-Volunteer
        • Apr16-TNR
        • July16News-Center
        • Sep16News-ACART
        • Nov17News-ServiceDogs
      • ACART >
        • Prepare
        • Volunteer
        • ACART Annual Banquet
        • ACART Wish List
  • TCWC
    • Find an animal in need? >
      • Audio Wildlife Tips
      • WhereAreWe
    • TCWC History >
      • TCWC Leadership Team
      • TCWC Leadership Opportunities
    • Wildlife Programs >
      • Education >
        • TCWC Education Events >
          • TCWC Education Animals
        • WildlifeSavesUs
        • Living Wildlife Friendly >
          • Songbird Concert Tips
          • Holiday Trash
          • Alert Your Birds
          • Water to Help the Critters!
          • Bread is for Sandwiches
          • No Dogs Allowed
          • Repurpose to Feed the Birds
          • GoNative
          • Netting It Out
          • Balloons
          • E-Waste
          • Organic Food
          • AllThatGlitters
          • Fly Strips and Glue Traps
          • Toxic Household Products
          • Recycling Pumpkins
          • Tree Trimming Tips
          • Saving Venomous Species
        • Nuisance Wildlife >
          • Nuisance-SayNoToTrapping
          • Foxlights
          • Wildproof Your Home
        • Gold Country Critters
        • Keep Them Wild and Free
        • TCWC Videos
        • Points to Ponder
      • TCWC-Tracking Our Progress >
        • TCWC 2014 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2015 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2016 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2017 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2018 Impact Report
        • TCWC 2019 Impact Report
      • TCWC Patients >
        • Success Stories >
          • 1 - Opossum Call
          • 2 - Raccoon Behind the Grill!
          • 3 - Saving a Raven
          • LongTripHome
          • Anita's Bird Comes Home
          • College the Wild Way
          • Releases
        • TCWC Critter Show
    • TCWC Events >
      • TCWC Calendar >
        • GivingTuesday2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeClasses2020
        • TCWC-WildlifeWorkshop2020
        • Paws&Claws2020
      • Past TCWC Events >
        • Paws & Claws 2019
        • No Dinner-Dinner
        • Paws&Claws 2018
        • AnimalScapes
        • Paws & Claws 2016
        • TCWC Grand Opening
        • Wildlife Workshop 2014
        • Paws & Claws 2014
        • Hot Rod Heaven 2014
        • Paws & Claws 2015
        • Paws&Claws2017
        • Paws&Claws2018
        • TCWC-No Shower Baby Shower
    • Support TCWC >
      • Giving >
        • Shop-Create
        • TCWC Wish List
        • Donate to TCWC >
          • DonateCarToTCWC
      • Volunteer at TCWC
      • TCWC Supporters
      • Sponsor a TCWC Critter
  • Support
    • Donate
    • Volunteer
  • Paws News
    • PawsPartners Social Feed
    • Newsletters >
      • TCWC Newsletter
      • A-PAL Newsletter
      • ShelterPartnersNews
    • Blog
  • Gratitude
    • TCWC-Gratitude >
      • BusinessSupporters
      • Our Volunteers
      • InMemoriam >
        • Cockrill
        • Glenyce
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Affiliations
    • Links >
      • ContentSubmissionForm
    • Critter Chronicles >
      • Watson
      • Don't Fawn!
      • Art - the Cooper's Hawk
      • Mugsy-CommunityCat
      • Trash Kitty!
      • Gretchen&Ginger
      • MajesticBird
      • DuckTherapy
      • MrJunco
      • TheOddCouple
      • The Twins
      • WillToSurvive
      • MeetMandy
      • Furrever - Chloe
      • Charlie the Corgi
    • Kids
    • Shop >
      • Learn More >
        • Promote Our Store
        • Submit Art
      • Volunteer Gear
      • Shop These Stores
      • Shop PawsPartners
      • Shop TCWC
      • Shop A-PAL Humane Society
    • Site Credits