Male House Finch at Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, UtahMale House Finch at Farmington Bay – Nikon D810, f7.1, 1/1600, ISO 400, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light, not baited

House Finches are fairly common birds throughout the U.S., Mexico and into Central America but they didn’t used to be common in the eastern U.S..  Originally they were found in the southwestern states but they were brought to Long Island, NY as caged birds. I’m guessing they were treated something like canaries. In 1940 a small population of them were released from their cages and they spread throughout the east. And so a bird that was once common in the southwest is now common back east too.

Male House Finch coloration can range from deep reds to bright yellows but red is more common that yellows or oranges and the colors are determined by their diet when they are molting. I think the male above falls some where between the reds and yellows and I’d say he is more orange than anything else. I wonder what he was eating when he molted. He was feeding on wild sunflower seeds when I photographed him.

Life is good.

Mia

Click here to see more of my House Finch photos plus facts and information about this species.