House Finches first recorded in our area in 1994
Christmas Bird Count
Hernando Audubon Society
Established 1959
Serving Audubon members in Hernando, east Pasco and south Sumter counties, Florida.
Florida nonprofit organization
and a chapter of the
National Audubon Society, Inc.
Hernando Audubon Society
P.O. Box 1678 - Brooksville, FL 34602
hernandoaudubon@yahoo.com
The House Finch is a relative newcomer to Hernando County. It was first reported on the Brooksville Christmas Bird Count in December 1994. Now many neighborhoods in the county have a resident population, and this species continues to push its way further south in Florida. Historically, the House Finch was a bird that occurred widely in the western United States, from desert habitat to very urban areas. The first House Finches in the eastern states were seen when a small group of caged birds was freed in Long Island in 1940. The story goes that pet store owners had been selling the birds illegally, and released them to avoid prosecution. Because they are productive breeders and easily adapt to urban and suburban areas, they quickly began to expand their range westward and southward from Long Island. Now they are a common backyard bird throughout most of the Lower 48 states, though in the eastern states they show a preference for a habitat of grass lawns, houses, and other buildings. They are a small (6 inch) brown bird, with heavy brown streaking on the underside. The male has a bright red head, bib, and rump, though this color can range to orange or yellow, depending on the amount of carotenoid pigments that were in the food he ate at the time of molting. The House Finch diet is mostly vegetarian, consisting of seeds and buds, as well as fruit and berries in the late summer. They will forage on the ground as well as higher, and readily come to bird feeders, where they have a preference for black oil sunflower seeds. The males sing a varied melodious song all year around, and the females sing a simple song in the spring. These are gregarious birds that often congregate in flocks, and in wintertime will roost together overnight under eaves of a building or in dense vegetation. Even during the nesting season, they frequently nest near others of their species. Pair formation begins in winter, with the female showing a preference for the reddest male available. The male does a courtship display called a "butterfly flight," in which he sings and flies up slowly, and then glides down to a perch. The female chooses the nest site and does most of the nest building, which occurs in mid to late March, while the male guards her closely and chases away any intruders. The nest may be built in a variety of places, including conifers, ledges of buildings, street lamps, and flower planters. The female selects a place that offers a solid base for the nest and cover overhead; she does not use nest boxes. The female lays 4 to 5 bluish eggs, which she incubates for 13 or 14 days. The male feeds her during this time. After the chicks hatch, she broods them for a few days, and then helps the male feed the chicks regurgitated seeds. Two to three chicks fledge in 12 to 15 days, and the

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HOUSE FINCH NEST                                              Photo by DON KNODLE
HOUSE FINCHES AT FEEDER                                  Photo by AL HANSEN
MALE HOUSE FINCH AT FEEDER                             Photo by AL HANSEN
male will feed them, while the female prepares another nest and lays another clutch of eggs. The pair will often have three broods in a year. One productive pair that was studied in Michigan produced 14 fledglings in one year. Some pairs have remained together for several years, and will return to the same nesting area every year. About 10 percent of nesting pairs switch mates during the breeding season, and others will select a new mate before the nesting season begins.