Is a House Finch a sparrow?

What is a Mexican house finch?

A classic example of this is the Mexican House Finch. When I first heard of these birds they were called Mexican Sparrows or sometimes Mexican House Sparrows. It wasn’t until I began researching them a little that I found out they aren’t a sparrow at all and are closer related to finches such as the Goldfinch and Greenfinch than the sparrow.

Is there a Latin name for a finch?

Sure, they only have one Latin name but they can have a range of common names. A classic example of this is the Mexican House Finch. When I first heard of these birds they were called Mexican Sparrows or sometimes Mexican House Sparrows.

Are house finches native to New York?

Their pleasant song and vibrant feathers make them a welcome inhabitant in many neighborhoods. House finches are one species of finch. They are native to western North America, primarily in the US and Mexico. In the 1940s, they were brought to New York in an attempt to sell them as pets.

What kind of finches live in Mexico?

If you live in the United States, Mexico, or Southern Canada, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with those small, colorful house finches that are common to those areas. Their pleasant song and vibrant feathers make them a welcome inhabitant in many neighborhoods. House finches are one species of finch.

What does a Mexican house finch look like?

The House Finch ( Carpodacus mexicanus) aka Mexican House Finch is a medium-sized finch, averaging 13-14 cm (5-6 in) in length. Adults have a long brown tail and are a brown or dull-brown color across the back with some shading into deep grey on the wing feathers. Breast and belly feathers may be streaked.

What is a Haemorhous Finch?

Haemorhous is the Latin name for the genus that includes house, purple, and Cassin’s finches, and many bird watchers use the term to avoid having to mention all three each time. These three are the ones that cause the most identification problems for bird watchers. Although they’re nomadic, they are more common than most of the other finches.

What is the genus name of a finch?

It used to be part of the genus Carpodacus, but after thorough DNA analysis, biologists agreed that the Caprodacus genus should be reserved for Old World finches, while the New World finches were moved into a new genus, Haemorhous. This genus name is the combination of two Greek words: haemo, meaning blood, and orrhos, meaning rump.

Are there house finches in New York?

The House Finch has not always been found in the eastern United States. In 1940, they were illegally captured in California and imported to New York by pet dealers. Fearing prosecution, the dealers released their “Hollywood Finches” on Long Island in 1940.

Are house finches the first house pets gone wild?

The house finch is not the first nor the last story of a house pet gone wild. House finches are native to North America, but only in the southwestern United States and Mexico. The males have bright red chests, and someone had the idea that they would make attractive pets. Birds were captured in the wild and shipped to New York City in 1940.

Where did the Hollywood Finch come from?

Originally only a resident of Mexico and the southwestern United States, they were introduced to eastern North America in the 1940s. The birds were being sold illegally in New York while marketed as the “Hollywood Finch.” Many vendors and owners released the birds into the wild in order to avoid prosecution.

Are there house finches in Mexico?

Frankly, there are fewer bird watchers in Mexico. So House Finches are unreported form many small towns in the interior and northern parts of Mexico. It appears from eBird data that House Finches are regular south to Oaxaca. There is also an isolated population in Chiapas in southern Mexico.

What is a house finches scientific name?

The house finch is one of the most common bird species in all of North America. Featuring colorful plumage and a stout bill well-adapted for seed-eating, the house finch is a member of the true finch family (scientific name Fringillidae). You can often hear their bright and cheerful voices in the spring and summer even without seeing them.

What kind of finches are black and red headed?

Black Rosy Finch or Black Rosy-finch (Leucosticte atrata) Black-throated Finches (Poephila cincta cincta) Owl Finches (also known as Bicheno Finches or Double-barred Finches) Red-headed Finches (Amadina erythrocephala), also known as Paradise Finch or Red Headed Weaver

How did the Hollywood Finches get to New York?

In 1940, they were illegally captured in California and imported to New York by pet dealers. Fearing prosecution, the dealers released their “Hollywood Finches” on Long Island in 1940. Since then the finches have spread to all corners of the east and have even rejoined their relatives in the west.

Where can I find information about house finches?

From the very first sighting of a wild bird in New York, citizen scientists have been the primary source of information about house finches. It was backyard birders who documented the spread of the species, who first noted the eye disease and who record sightings that show house finch and house sparrow population dynamics.

Are there goldfinches in New York State?

Range in New York: American Goldfinches are year-round residents in New York. Identification: This is a key species for comparing with an unknown bird. Size: Very small at about 5 inches from bill tip to tail tip. Similar in size to a chickadee. Larger than hummingbirds. Smaller than juncos and House Finches.

What kind of finches live in the northeast?

One, the house finch, (Haemorhous mexicanus) is a western species liberated in the Northeast that has become quite common. Another, the red crossbill (Loxia curvirostra) is a rare nester here, mostly in conifer forests. Finches are sociable birds, and outside of the breeding season they gather in flocks.

Do house finches make good pets?

The house finch is not the first nor the last story of a house pet gone wild. House finches are native to North America, but only in the southwestern United States and Mexico. The males have bright red chests, and someone had the idea that they would make attractive pets.

Why are house finches more prone to disease than other birds?

No one knows why house finches are more likely to contract this disease than other birds. The house finch, a native of the western United States, was introduced to the eastern United States in 1940 when a New York city pet store owner released illegally held finches to avoid prosecution.

What is the history of the house finch?

The house finch, a native of the western United States, was introduced to the eastern United States in 1940 when a New York city pet store owner released illegally held finches to avoid prosecution. Within forty years, this group of finches bred, multiplied, and established itself throughout the eastern United States.

Is the house finch on the endangered list?

House Finch is not on the 2016 State of North America’s Birds’ Watch List. These birds generally benefit from human development. However, populations underwent a steep decline beginning in January 1994 owing to a disease called mycoplasmal conjunctivitis.

When did the house finch come to Hawaii?

House Finches were introduced to Oahu from San Francisco sometime before 1870. They had become abundant on all the major Hawaiian Islands by 1901. The red of a male House Finch comes from pigments contained in its food during molt (birds can’t make bright red or yellow colors directly).

What kind of finches live in California?

Actually, we call them simply House Finches rather than Mexican House Finch. They are the most common finch here in California and I’ve also kept and bred them having had rescued birds. I’ve kept them with Chaffinches, Greenfinches, (European) Goldfinches, Canaries, and others and they do well with them.