Tag Archives: house finch

Field Notes, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

Uncommonly beautiful common bird: The House Finch at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation

With the irruption of unusual species of birds spreading out all across North Carolina, the ones that are getting the most attention out there are the Purple Finches, Pine Siskins and Evening Grosbeaks.
With so many interesting sightings taking place (and taking up space on social media), it’s easy to overlook our more common, yet absolutely lovely birds, the House Finch.

These gregarious little gems are a year round resident of the Tarheel State and are indeed a familiar visitor to our yards and suburban parks. Like most species of Finches, they can be found foraging for a meal in wide open brush fields.
They primarily eat grains, seeds and berries, and are voracious consumers of weed seeds such as nettle and dandelion.
They’ll also dine on small insects, such as aphids and plant lice. And yes, of course they’re frequent visitors to our feeders, particularly if you stock them with sunflower seeds or Nyjer/thistle seed.

Male & female House Finches at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation, Raleigh N.C.

I photographed this pair while on a recent birding trip at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation in Raleigh.
The male featured in the first photo has a vivid purplish-red band of feathers around his head along with a red chin, throat and rump.
His mate featured in the second photo is dressed in soft gray-brown hues and dark-brown blurry streaks against her grayish-white belly. It appears to me like she’s got a tinge of orange plumage color on her crown, below her eyes and on her rump too.

Usually House Finches travel together in large flocks during the winter. These two were indeed part of a larger group but happened to be perched together about 50ft away from the rest of the other Finches.
This encounter is a good example why I enjoy birding at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation so much. With an open grassy habitat that serves as a home for many species of birds, it’s a wonderful place to go in the wintertime if you want to feel the sun on your face and the wind on your back all while exploring the great outdoors.
I can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow morning for another group trip!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on the @canonusa#5ds

Bird watching Videos, Field Notes

Purple Finch or House Finch ID help

Last week, a small flock of Purple House Finches and a lone male House Finch visited my feeder in Fuquay Varina North Carolina.

Since I often receive questions on how to tell the difference between House Finches and Purple Finches, I took the opportunity to put together a short video highlighting the two species.

Hope that it’s useful to ya!
Thanks for watching & happy birding.
-Sally

Photos & video by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
on the magnificent full frame DSLR beast, the @canon#5Ds

Field Notes, Out There with the Expert, The Adventures of your bird watching Admin

House Finches at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation

Stoked to get a decent photo of these House Finches at the Prairie Ridge Ecostation in Raleigh, N.C. a couple of days ago.
It was neat to hear them tweeting at one another as they watched me watching them 🙂


Native to the deserts and drier areas of the western United States, the House Finch is now commonly found in parks, fields and neighborhoods all the way down here in central N.C.


Though they are sometimes misidentified with the Purple Finch, these colorful little birds with the bright red heads are a cheerful sight in our yards all year round.
Dedicated vegetarians, House Finches will forage on the ground, in shrubs or in the mid canopy of trees, chomping on seeds with a series of quick nibbles before flying off for more.

Photo by Sally Sally Adams Siko
Canon 5Ds

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds

Field Notes

Wintertime birdwatching House Finches in North Carolina

I photographed this pair of House Finches few days ago in my own yard as they searched for a snack. The first two photos are of the female, the second two are of the male.


It’s easy to tell the differences between the two by their plumage.
Male House Finches have purplish red feathers on their faces, heads and necks while females are a colored in subdued buff tones with brown streaking on their breast’s and sides.

A familiar sight at backyard feeders here in North Carolina, the House Finch is one of the most well-established invasive species in the eastern United States. Originally native to only the western U.S. and Mexico, it has spread rapidly through the east since a small number of illegally caged birds were released by a pet store in New York in 1940.
House Finches prefer to dine on seeds, buds and fruit throughout the year. At our feeders, they prefer thistle, sunflower and safflower seeds.
Such a pretty sight on a winters day!

Photos by @sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc
Canon 5Ds