🐦 House Finch — Species ID Dossier

Episode 10 of 59 | Haemorhous mexicanus

That smear of raspberry-red at your feeder? Half the time it's a House Finch — not a cardinal, not a Purple Finch. The male's orange-red head and breast look bold until you know what to actually look for.

Four cards. Everything you need to lock in the ID.

Card 1 — Perched Portrait

Field marks at a glance:

Red head, breast & rump — three separate red zones
Brown-streaked back and flanks (red doesn't wash the back the way Purple Finch does)
Conical, slightly curved bill — built for cracking seeds
Plain dark eye, no eye ring
Notched tail
Female: plain brownish, heavy streaking, no red, no supercilium

Size: 5–6 in (12.5–15 cm) · wingspan 8–10 in · weight 0.6–0.9 oz

Card 2 — Flight View

What to watch for in flight:

Dorsal: that red rump patch pops against the brown-streaked back — the single most reliable in-flight mark
Ventral: streaked underparts, slightly notched tail
Flight style: bouncy undulating bound-glide-bound, typical finch behavior — almost rhythmic once you clock it
Wings are short and rounded for a finch; no wing bars flash in flight

Card 3 — Song & Calls

Primary song mnemonic:

"What-cheer, what-cheer, what-cheer, weeta-weeta-weet!"

Phonetic breakdown: WEET-cheer · WEET-cheer · wee-ta-WEE-ta-weet!

Rich, warbling, melodious — ends with a distinctive upslurred or buzzy final note. Pitch 2–4 kHz, bright liquid quality.

Call types:

Song — breeding males, year-round from exposed perches
Contact/flight call — sharp upslurred "WEEET" or "WHIT"
Alarm call — nasal "ch-wink"

One useful trick: if the warble sounds like it's asking a question at the end, you've got a House Finch.

Card 4 — Look-alike Comparison

The three Haemorhous finches:

Feature	House Finch ♂	Purple Finch ♂	Cassin's Finch ♂
Red extent	Head, breast, rump only	Entire head AND back washed raspberry-wine	Crown cap only; pale throat & nape
Flank streaking	Heavy brown streaks	Less streaked below	Finer, crisper streaking
Female mark	No supercilium, plain-faced	Bold white supercilium	Finer streaking overall
Range	Widespread — backyards nationwide	East & Pacific Coast forests	Western mountains
Bill	Conical, curved culmen	Similar but slightly heavier	Slightly longer

Quick rule: if the red stops at the back and the flanks are heavily streaked, it's a House Finch. If the back itself looks dipped in wine, check for Purple Finch. If the red is capped to the crown and the throat goes pale, you're in Cassin's territory (and probably in the mountains).

Species Data

Order	Passeriformes
Family	Fringillidae
Genus	Haemorhous
Species	H. mexicanus
Pool position	#10 of 59
Previously covered	American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Mourning Dove, Blue Jay, Black-capped Chickadee, House Sparrow, Mallard, Red-tailed Hawk, American Crow

🐦 House Finch — Species #10 of 59

That red smear at your feeder every morning? Here's the full dossier.

The male's orange-red stops at the back — that's your first clue it's not a Purple Finch. Four field-mark callouts, dorsal + ventral flight views, the "What-cheer, weeta-weeta-weet!" song breakdown, and a side-by-side with Purple and Cassin's Finch.

Swipe through. The look-alike card alone is worth saving.

#HouseFinch #HaemorrhousFinch #BackyardBirds #BirdID #FieldGuide #BirdingLife #NorthAmericanBirds #BirdWatching #FinchFamily #BirdsOfInstagram

Sources: Cornell Lab of Ornithology (All About Birds), Sibley Guide to Birds, Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds