House Finch Fun Facts

Father house finch surveys the area around the nest site. Photo credit: Coral Keegan

• House finches create cup-shaped nests, and females do most of the prospecting (although males follow closely behind and occasionally re-examine the nesting site)
• Parents feed their chicks mainly plant-based food. This relatively rare, as most birds feed chicks insects and other animal protein. 
• Eggs are white, with some dark black speckles. Typically clutch size is 2 to 6 eggs.
• Chicks are altricial, meaning that upon hatching they are helpless, immobile, and naked with closed eyes. 
• Incubation period: 13 days
• Brooding period: 15 days
• Breeding period: April through early August
• The house finch was originally only found in the western region of the United States and Mexico. However, in 1940, a small number were set loose in Long Island, New York. They quickly spread across most of the eastern United States and southern Canada.
• The red colors of the male house finch come from pigments in its food. For this reason, their coloration can vary from red to yellow. However, females prefer males with the reddest coloration. 

House Finch Range Map, Image Source: All About Birds

To learn more about the house finch, hear its calls, and see more photos, check out the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's All About Birds profile page: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Finch/overview

Sources:

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2020). All About Birds - House Finch. Retrieved August 1, 2020, from https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Finch/overview 

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology. (2020). NestWatch Common Nesting Birds. Retrieved August 1, 2020, from https://nestwatch.org/learn/focal-species/house-finch/