Interestingly, these introduced eastern birds developed a migratory behavior that is absent in the native western birds and House Finches from the Great Lakes and the northeastern United States now migrate south in the winter (perhaps searching for that California weather that their ancestors came from?) while the native western birds are non-migratory. These birds are thought to have been trapped in the Los Angeles area and proved to be extremely prolific in their new environment, spreading north into southern Ontario, south to northern Florida and the Gulf of Mexico and west into the Great Plains where they are now meeting the native western birds. For more detail on distinguishing these three finches, check out the information on-line at the Cornell Lab website.Įastern populations of House Finches descend from the 1940 release of illegally caged birds by pet shop owners on Long Island, New York. Male Purple Finch is a darker raspberry red with red on the nape, back and flanks and little or no brown streaking on the breast or flanks. Male Cassin’s also has a bright red crown on the top of its head, as compared to the male House Finch which has a more overall red appearance to the head. Cassin’s Finch is distinguished from the House Finch by its slightly larger size (6-6.5 inches), its more pointed bill, and shorter, notched tail. In our area, the Cassin’s Finch and also the Purple Finch are regularly seen, sometimes mixed in with flocks of the more common House Finch. There is a close correlation between House Finch abundance and the size of local human population.Īs you’re watching those flocks of House Finches devour the sunflower seeds in your feeders, be sure to look for some similar species that may have joined the group. As suitable habitat was created by man, the western populations have expanded north into British Columbia and into central and eastern Montana over the past hundred years. Since House Finches prefer edge habitat and require water as well as structures for nesting and perching, their range expansions have been facilitated by man’s changes to the environment. My research at tells me that House Finches are native to the western United States and occur in a wide variety of habitats ranging from desert to chaparral and open coniferous forest to cities. Also, studies show that the females prefer the reddest males, suggesting that intensity of color is an indicator of the male’s fitness. This occurs because the coloring depends on the amount of carotenoid pigments in the bird’s food source during the molting period. Our small group has males ranging from pale orange to bright red. Both males and females have two thin white wing bars, a square tipped tail, black eyes and dark brown legs.Īs you observe a group of House Finches, you’ll probably notice that the males display a wide range of color variation, perhaps all the way from pale yellow to bright red. Both have the short chunky bill typical of seed eaters and they commonly travel together in small flocks, especially in the winter months. If you are not familiar with these colorful birds, the males are easily identified by the red coloring on their head, chest and rump, while the females are less colorful with a uniformly brown-streaked head and broad brown streaking on the breast and belly. At our home south of Kalispell, 30 to 40 of these cheery, sparrow-sized birds spend most of the day perching in the top of a larch tree near the house and making frequent visits to the feeders and water on our deck. Thanks for the nice pictures! We just saw our first male Purple Finch at our bird feeder, and he certainly is brilliant to look at.House Finches are among the most reliable and frequent visitors to feeders in the Flathead Valley. Where we are in NH, Purple Finches are more common on our rural property, House Finches are rare and more likely to be seen in the towns. You need to look closely to distinguish them, and the amount or shade of red on the males is not always a help. Many people think House Finches are Purple finches. I get the occasionally at my feeders in the winter. After seeing your photos I realize that I have yet to see a Purple Finch. Thank you for posting these terrific photos! I'm still a relatively novice birder and have been frustrated by my inability to discern this bird from the House Finch, and until today hadn't found satisfactory photos to show me the difference.

Show me a purple finch