H.J. Ruiz – Avian101

The bird being feature on this post is the House Finch, a well know bird which has expanded its territory to all the USA. They can be found all year round. For a while I heard some folks referring to this species as “the other red bird, not the cardinal”.

Adults have a long, square-tipped brown tail and are a brown or dull-brown color across the back with some shading into deep gray on the wing feathers. Breast and belly feathers may be streaked; the flanks usually are. In most cases, adult males heads, necks and shoulders are reddish.This color sometimes extends to the belly and down the back, between the wings. Male coloration varies in intensity with the seasons and is derived from the berries and fruits in its diet. As a result, the colors range from pale straw-yellow through bright orange (both rare) to deep, intense red. Adult females have brown upper-parts and streaked under-parts.

What I love about these birds is the deep sense of parental responsibility. Where ever the couple go the brood is always with them close by to assist them if needed. The fly in family group until the birds are juvenile and are on their own. By the way, these species are very prolific and they are very abundant.

Ever sine I moved to Georgia I’ve seen them coming to eat to my feeders.

“There are estimated to be anywhere from 267 million to 1.7 billion individuals across North America”

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Text and photographs © HJ Ruiz – Avian101