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House Finch

Haemorhous mexicanus

The male's red color comes from pigments in the food it eats. The redder males tend to attract mates more easily.

In your real yard: Sunflower seed in a tube feeder.

Spot it in the game

Lives in the Backyard habitat (Eastern North America).

House Finch, Haemorhous mexicanus — Photo: Jay Solanki, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist. Cut out from the original photo.

House Finch facts

Family: Finches
Length: 5.5 in (14 cm)
Wingspan: 9.1 in (23 cm)
Weight: 0.7 oz (21 g)
Diet: Almost only plant food: seeds, buds and fruit.
Range: Western North America and Mexico; brought to the East in the 1940s and now across the continent.
Nest: A cup of twigs, grass and feathers in trees, cactus, ivy or on buildings.
Song: A long, cheery warble that often ends in a rising "zeee".
Active: by day
Status: Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: widespread and not at risk.

What the House Finch sounds like

Recording 1: Jonathon Jongsma, CC BY-SA 3.0, original on xeno-canto. Trimmed and cleaned of low background noise.

How to attract the House Finch

Feeder foods, favorite first: sunflower seed, nyjer seed, millet. Feeders that hold them: tube feeder and platform feeder. Keep a bird bath full, too.

In the game: fill a feeder with sunflower seed, nyjer seed and millet and keep the bird bath full. It is a common visitor.

More: bird songs and calls, what to feed birds.