Our featured feathered friend of the day is the House Finch. Along with our regular birds today, a female House Finch was in the backyard most of afternoon. The House Finch is a year round Florida resident, but we've only seen them in our yard a few times.
House Finches are six inches long and weigh about 3/4 of an ounce. They have small heads and short, conical bills. Both sexes have a brownish back, tail and wings, with two white wing bars, and a white belly heavily streaked with brown. Males have a reddish head, breast and rump. Males can also display orange or yellow colors, varying in intensity and derived from the berries and fruits in their diet. As a result, their colors range from pale yellow to bright orange (both rare) to deep, intense red. Studies have shown that during mating season females prefer males with the brightest and reddist color.
The House Finch is the most widely distributed songbird in North America and is a common backyard feeder. It was once found only in the western U.S. and Mexico. They were being sold illegally in New York City as "Hollywood Finches". To avoid prosecution under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, vendors and owners released the birds in the 1940s. The population quickly became established in the east and now the total North American population is estimated to be as high as 1.4 billion birds. Enjoy these photos of the House Finch.....tweet.....tweet!!
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| House Finch (Male) (Yellow and Red Plumage) (Taken 11/18/11, Our Backyard) |
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| House Finch (Female) (Taken 10/10/12, Our Backyard) |
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