House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
The intensity of a male's red plumage is determined by the amount of carotenoid pigments in the seeds he eats while molting.
- Scientific name
- Haemorhous mexicanus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Fringillidae › Haemorhous
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- urban
- Habitat
- Suburban gardens, urban parks, desert scrub, and forest edges.
- Diet
- Strictly vegetarian, feeding on seeds, buds, and berries.
- Range
- North America, Mexico, Hawaii
- Size
- 12-15 cm in length, 16-27 g in weight
- Lifespan
- 2-5 years on average
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Domestic cats, window collisions, and Mycoplasmal conjunctivitis.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and a delight to observe. Maintain a respectful distance at bird feeders. If you encounter an ill bird with swollen or crusty eyes, clean your feeders immediately with a 10% bleach solution to prevent the spread of finch conjunctivitis.
The house finch ( Haemorhous mexicanus ) is a bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is native to western North America, and has been introduced to the eastern half of the continent and Hawaii. This species and the other "American rosefinches" are placed in the genus Haemorhous .
Photo: MostlyDross, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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