House Finch



It is so easy to ignore common birds, to go looking for the rare, the ones that are not so much a part of every-day life that they disappear into the quotidian background. Take house finches for example, birds so much with us that we seldom appreciate how special they really are. Yet, these birds are well worth every attention we pay them. Few places on earth can boast of hosting back yard birds that are both colorful and splendid singers. Think about life without the house finch’s cheery jumble of a song, or the male’s bright red glow on a chilly morning.

The house finch in its natural setting occupied many open habitats, from coastal lowlands well up into the foothills of California. The arrival of people opened up new possibilities for these birds and they were quick to take them under their wing, as it were. Today, they are found everywhere but high in the mountains. Even there, a town may host a few pairs in an area not originally suited to their needs.

I am assured that sooty shearwaters are California’s most abundant bird. Perhaps, but I think house finches must challenge that abundance, even during the summer months when sooty shearwaters show up off our coast. The rest of the year, of course, it’s no contest! All but a few sooty stragglers are then breeding thousands of miles away on isolated islets in the Southern Hemisphere.

Unlike shearwaters, house finches are far from selective when it comes to nest sites, as many people can attest from finding surprises in flower pots, on mail boxes, or in shrubbery close to the front door from which a startled bird explodes when opened suddenly. Any old place that provides a bit of shelter and support for the nest seems acceptable. The nest itself is hardly the picture of elegance, but it’s of sound construction. Twigs, grasses, bits of this and that are woven into a sturdy three inch cup in which usually four or five eggs are laid.

The house finch’s conical bill, designed for crushing, signals that this is a seed eater. Since it will take a wide variety of seed, the birds can find food in almost any habitat. Judging from how abundant these birds are, the limiting factors on population are quite likely predators, disease and seasonal variations in the availability of food. Since there is a feeder outside my window, I am treated to the sight of these little birds every day.