House Finch
Haemorhous mexicanus
Fringillidae
The red-headed finch of every suburban feeder in NJ. Males have raspberry-red on the head, throat, and chest — brighter than a Purple Finch but confined to those areas, not spread across the whole body. Now abundant year-round in NJ; nearly all NJ House Finches descend from a small original release of illegally trapped western birds.
How to spot one.
5–5.5 inches, similar size to Purple Finch
Male: raspberry-red on head, throat, upper chest, and rump; streaky brown below and on back
Female: plain streaky brown throughout, no strong facial pattern
Small conical bill
Square tail (not notched like Purple Finch)
What it sounds like.
A jumbled warbled song ending in a rough 'zeer' — less musical than the Purple Finch. Calls are cheerful 'cheep' notes.
How it lives.
Highly adaptable to human landscapes. Nests in shrubs, on ledges, in hanging plants. Highly social; often at feeders in flocks. Susceptible to house-finch conjunctivitis (an eye disease that spreads at feeders — clean feeders regularly).
The spec sheet.
- Status
- Non-native present
- Size
- 4.7–5.5 inches
- Present in NJ
- Year-round
- Native to NJ
- No — see origin
- Origin
- Native to the southwestern US and Mexico. Illegally trapped and sold as cage birds in New York in the 1940s. Released to avoid prosecution; escaped birds established a breeding population that spread throughout the East. Now the most common finch at NJ feeders.
- Conservation status
- stable
- Family
- Fringillidae
What it eats.
Diet often shifts dramatically between breeding season and the rest of the year — especially for insectivorous birds that pivot to native berries in fall and winter.
Summer / breeding season
Almost entirely plant material — buds, seeds, small fruits
Insects rarely fed to nestlings (unusual among songbirds)
Fall / winter
Sunflower and safflower seeds at feeders
Native seeds: coneflower, sunflower, thistle
Persistent berries
What it needs.
Native plants that feed this bird or provide shelter. Names in hydrangea link to the plant’s Field Guide entry.
Seed source
Native sunflowers
Seed source
Native thistles
Seed source
Shrubs and hanging plants (nest sites)
Cover / habitat
Audubon Field Guide · All About Birds (Cornell) · Delaware Nature Society