Courtesy U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceMale house finches have a pinkish-red to reddish-orange head, throat and rump.

Scientific name: Carpodacus mexicanus

Characteristics: A 5- to 6-inch long, medium-sized finch that is a colorful and variable songbird. Both sexes have a short, cone-shaped bill that curves downward slightly at the tip, a brownish streaked back and long tail that is slightly notched at the tip. Males have a pinkish-red to reddish-orange head, throat, and rump; on some the red is replaced with yellow or orange. The lower chest and flanks have brown streaking. Females are drab, browner overall and streaked below.

Breeding: Builds a cup-shaped nest in shrubs or trees, in natural or man-made cavities, or on buildings. The nest is made of grasses, twigs, hair, rootlets, debris, feathers and leaves. Females lay an average of two to four bluish eggs that take about two weeks to hatch.

Habitat: Found in residential and agricultural areas, woodland parks, canyons and lowland valleys.

Range: Widely distributed throughout the United States and Mexico; common throughout most of Oregon.

Food: Eats seeds, fruits and small insects, juniper berries, sap and buds of deciduous shrubs and trees.

Bird facts: Named after their affinity for residential areas, these birds were originally found in the Southwest but were introduced or spread on their own throughout the U.S. Nicknamed “Hollywood Finch” after caged California birds were released in New York and became established in the East. A flock of finches is known as a “development” of finches. Has a musical song that is canarylike, and often ends in an upward “zeee” sound.

Current locations: Backyard bird feeders, urban parks, agricultural areas throughout Central Oregon.

Sources: Oregon Department of Wildlife Resources, David Sibley’s The Sibley Guide to Birds and Whatbird.com

— Damian Fagan is a volunteer with the East Cascades Audubon Society and a Central Oregon Community College Community Learning instructor. He can be reached at damian.fagan@hotmail.com.