House Finch » DFW Urban Wildlife

House Finch – Storm Victims

Apr 052012

Two days ago the Dallas/Fort Worth area made national news when severe storms rolled through the area. We had Tornados. We had hail. We had thunder and lightning. In a couple of places there was significant amounts of damage.

The worst of the storm missed our neighborhood, but there were still some causalities. These two House Finch eggs were found broken on the sidewalk the next morning, clearly victims of the severe weather.

No embryos were visible in the egg contents indicating that incubation had only recently begun.

County	-	Denton
City	-	Carrollton
Date	-	Apr 4, 2012
Time of Day	-	Morning
Temperature	-	Cool (50-69°F/10-21°C)
Weather	-	Clear
Habitat	-	Residential-Single Family
Type of Behavior	-	Nesting
Gender	-	Uncertain
Maturity	-	Egg
Observer	-	Chris Jackson
Main Article	-	House Finch	Observation Location

House Finch – Parasite Foiled

Birds, House Finch 2 Responses »

Nov 292011

For several days I had noticed a pair of House Finches flying to and from a holly near my front porch. Typically, just standing next to the bush for longer than a few seconds would cause a bird to bolt from deep within the leaves near the top.

I suspected the finches had constructed a nest, and I retrieved a step ladder in order to have a better look. I was surprised by what I found

The House Finches were indeed nesting in the bush off my front porch, and when I examined the nest more carefully I made an interesting discovery. The nest contained three light blue House Finch eggs, but unexpectedly, it also held a fourth and different kind of egg. This one was white with brown speckles and slightly larger than the others.

Clearly this fourth egg did not belong with the other three, and a little research revealed that this egg belonged to a different species of bird altogether, the Brown-headed Cowbird.

The cowbird is a what is known as a parasitic species. It lays its eggs in the nest of other, smaller birds. The host species (in this case the House Finch) then incubates the cowbirds eggs along with its own, and when the eggs hatch, the larger cowbird juvenile is frequently able to out-compete the host bird’s young for parental care, due to its larger size.

County	-	Denton
City	-	Carrollton
Date	-	May 11, 2008 – Jun 3, 2008
Time of Day	-	Various
Temperature	-	Various
Weather	-	Various
Habitat	-	Residential-Single Family
Type of Behavior	-	Care of Young, Nesting
Gender	-	Mixed
Maturity	-	Mixed
Observer	-	Chris Jackson
Main Article	-	House Finch	Observation Location

House Finch – Pufnstuf

Birds, House Finch No Responses »

Nov 082011

The House Finch is a dainty little bird, but if you watch one long enough you are sure to see it puff itself up into a round little ball, and vigorously shake off any dirt that may have collected on his feathers.

County	-	Denton
City	-	Carrollton
Date	-	May 11, 2005
Time of Day	-	Afternoon
Temperature	-	Warm (70-89°F/21-32°C)
Weather	-	Cloudy
Habitat	-	Residential-Single Family
Type of Behavior	-	Grooming
Gender	-	Male
Maturity	-	Adult
Observer	-	Chris Jackson
Main Article	-	House Finch	Observation Location

House Finch – Unannounced

Birds, House Finch No Responses »

Sep 162011

This House Finch was flying from house to house in our neighborhood, when quite to his surprise he engaged in a bit of a barge in and landed right next to this female Mourning Dove incubating her eggs. The House Finch only stayed for a moment, but while he was there both birds looked very uncomfortable with the whole situation.

House Finch – Expanded Range

Birds, House Finch No Responses »

Aug 202011

I believe that the House Finch may be a relative newcomer to the Dallas / Fort Worth Area.

I see them all over the place these days, but I don’t recall ever seeing a House Finch as a child, even though I am sure their striking red feathers would have made quite an impression on me.

Whatever the case may be for the DFW Area, the House Finch has certainly extended its range in the United States over the last 30 years. This chart includes a range map taken from the 1977 edition of The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds Eastern Region and a range map created with more current information. The 1977 range map shows the western range of the House Finch ends just short of the DFW Area, and the eastern range is limited to the coastal states. There was a broad band down the center of the country that was completely free of House Finches.

Compare that to the more current range map on the right. On this map you can see that the House Finch has dramatically expanded its range, and can now be found almost everywhere in the continental United States.