House Finch
Encyclopedia
The House Finch is a bird
in the finch
family
Fringillidae, which is found in North America
. This species and the other "American rosefinches" are usually placed in the rosefinch
genus Carpodacus. It has been proposed to place them in a distinct genus Burrica, but the American Ornithologists Union rejected a proposal to do so in 2008.
Their song is a rapid, cheery warble or a variety of chirps.
south. Their breeding habitat is urban and suburban areas in eastern North America as well as various semi-open areas in the west from southern Canada
to northern Florida
and the Mexican
state of Oaxaca
; the population in central Chiapas
may be descended from escaped cagebirds.
Originally only a resident of Mexico and the southwestern United States
, they were introduced to eastern North America in the 1940s. The birds were sold illegally in New York City
as "Hollywood Finches", a marketing artifice. To avoid prosecution under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
, vendors and owners released the birds. They have become naturalized; in some unforested areas, they have displaced the native Purple Finch
and non-native House Sparrow
. In 1870, or before, they were introduced into Hawaii
.
s, seed
s and berries
, being voracious consumers of weed seeds such as nettle
and dandelion; included are incidental small insects such as aphid
s. They are frequent visitors to bird feeder
s throughout the year, particularly if stocked with sunflower
or nyjer
seed, and will congregate at hanging nyjer sock feeders. The House Finch is known to damage orchard fruit and consume commercially grown grain, but is generally not considered a significant pest, rather an annoyance.
During courtship, the male will touch bills with the female. He may then present the female with choice bits of food, and if she mimics the behavior of a hungry chick, he may actually feed her. The male also feeds the female during the breeding and incubation of both eggs and young, and the male is the primary feeder of the fledgelings (who can be differentiated from the females by the pin feathers remaining on their heads).
The female lays clutches of eggs from February through August, two or more broods per year with 2 to 6 eggs per brood, most commonly 4 or 5. The egg laying usually takes place in the morning, at the rate of one egg per day. The eggs are a pale bluish green with few black spots and a smooth, somewhat glossy surface. In response to mite infestation, the mother finch may lay one gender of egg first, which increases the chances of the young finches' survival. The female incubates the eggs for 12 to 14 days. Shortly after hatching, she removes the empty eggshells from the nest. The hatchlings are pink with closed eyes and tufts of fluffy down. The female always feeds the young, and the male usually joins in. The young are silent for the first seven or eight days, and subsequently start peeping during feedings. Initially, the mother carries fecal sac
s out of the nest, but when the young become older, she no longer carries them all away, allowing droppings to accumulate around the edge of the nest. Before flying, the young often climb into adjacent plants, and usually fledge at about 11 to 19 days after hatching. Dandelion seeds are among the preferred seeds fed to the young.
House Finches are aggressive enough to drive other birds away from places such as feeders.
including Plasmodium relictum and Mycoplasma gallisepticum
, which caused the population of house finches in eastern North America to crash during the 1990s.
The mite
Pellonyssus reedi is often found on house finch nestlings, particularly for nests later in the season.
The Brown-headed Cowbird
, a brood parasite
, will lay its eggs in house finch nests, although the diet house finches feed their young is inadequate for the young cowbirds, which rarely survive.
AnimalBehaviour67:27
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Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
in the finch
Finch
The true finches are passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. They are predominantly seed-eating songbirds. Most are native to the Northern Hemisphere, but one subfamily is endemic to the Neotropics, one to the Hawaiian Islands, and one subfamily – monotypic at genus level – is found...
family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Fringillidae, which is found in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. This species and the other "American rosefinches" are usually placed in the rosefinch
Rosefinch
The rosefinches are birds in the finch family Fringillidae. Most Carpodacus species are called "rosefinches", but the three North American species are simply called "finches". As the names imply, various shades of red are the characteristic plumage colours of this group...
genus Carpodacus. It has been proposed to place them in a distinct genus Burrica, but the American Ornithologists Union rejected a proposal to do so in 2008.
Description
Adults have a long, square-tipped brown tail and are a brown or dull-brown color across the back with some shading into deep gray on the wing feathers. Breast and belly feathers may be streaked; the flanks usually are. In most cases, adult males' heads, necks and shoulders are reddish. This color sometimes extends to the belly and down the back, between the wings. Male coloration varies in intensity with the seasons and is derived from the berries and fruits in its diet. As a result, the colors range from pale straw-yellow through bright orange (both rare) to deep, intense red. Adult females have brown upperparts and streaked underparts.Their song is a rapid, cheery warble or a variety of chirps.
Range and habitat
These birds are mainly permanent residents throughout their range; some northern and eastern birds migrateBird migration
Bird migration is the regular seasonal journey undertaken by many species of birds. Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability, habitat or weather. Sometimes, journeys are not termed "true migration" because they are irregular or in only one direction...
south. Their breeding habitat is urban and suburban areas in eastern North America as well as various semi-open areas in the west from southern Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to northern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
and the Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
state of Oaxaca
Oaxaca
Oaxaca , , officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Oaxaca is one of the 31 states which, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided into 571 municipalities; of which 418 are governed by the system of customs and traditions...
; the population in central Chiapas
Chiapas
Chiapas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Chiapas is one of the 31 states that, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 118 municipalities and its capital city is Tuxtla Gutierrez. Other important cites in Chiapas include San Cristóbal de las...
may be descended from escaped cagebirds.
Originally only a resident of Mexico and the southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
, they were introduced to eastern North America in the 1940s. The birds were sold illegally in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
as "Hollywood Finches", a marketing artifice. To avoid prosecution under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 , codified at , is a United States federal law, at first enacted in 1916 in order to implement the convention for the protection of migratory birds between the United States and Great Britain...
, vendors and owners released the birds. They have become naturalized; in some unforested areas, they have displaced the native Purple Finch
Purple Finch
The Purple Finch, Carpodacus purpureus, is a bird in the finch family Fringillidae.-Taxonomy:The Purple Finch is one of 24 birds in the genus Carpodacus and is included in the finch...
and non-native House Sparrow
House Sparrow
The House Sparrow is a bird of the sparrow family Passeridae, found in most parts of the world. One of about 25 species in the genus Passer, the House Sparrow occurs naturally in most of Europe, the Mediterranean region, and much of Asia...
. In 1870, or before, they were introduced into Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
.
Feeding
House Finches forage on the ground or in vegetation normally. They primarily eat grainGRAIN
GRAIN is a small international non-profit organisation that works to support small farmers and social movements in their struggles for community-controlled and biodiversity-based food systems. Our support takes the form of independent research and analysis, networking at local, regional and...
s, seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s and berries
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
, being voracious consumers of weed seeds such as nettle
Nettle
Nettles constitute between 24 and 39 species of flowering plants of the genus Urtica in the family Urticaceae, with a cosmopolitan though mainly temperate distribution. They are mostly herbaceous perennial plants, but some are annual and a few are shrubby...
and dandelion; included are incidental small insects such as aphid
Aphid
Aphids, also known as plant lice and in Britain and the Commonwealth as greenflies, blackflies or whiteflies, are small sap sucking insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions...
s. They are frequent visitors to bird feeder
Bird feeder
A birdfeeder, bird feeder, bird table, or tray feeder are devices placed outdoors to supply bird food to birds...
s throughout the year, particularly if stocked with sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
or nyjer
Guizotia abyssinica
Guizotia abyssinica is an erect, stout, branched annual herb, grown for its edible oil and seed. Its cultivation originated in the Ethiopian highlands, and has spread to other parts of Ethiopia...
seed, and will congregate at hanging nyjer sock feeders. The House Finch is known to damage orchard fruit and consume commercially grown grain, but is generally not considered a significant pest, rather an annoyance.
Breeding
Nests are made in cavities, including openings in buildings, hanging plants, and other cup-shaped outdoor decorations. Sometimes nests abandoned by other birds are used. Nests may be re-used for subsequent broods or in following years. The nest is built by the female, sometimes in as little as two days. It is well made of twigs and debris, forming a cup shape, usually 1.8 to 2.7 m (5.9 to 8.9 ft) above the ground.During courtship, the male will touch bills with the female. He may then present the female with choice bits of food, and if she mimics the behavior of a hungry chick, he may actually feed her. The male also feeds the female during the breeding and incubation of both eggs and young, and the male is the primary feeder of the fledgelings (who can be differentiated from the females by the pin feathers remaining on their heads).
The female lays clutches of eggs from February through August, two or more broods per year with 2 to 6 eggs per brood, most commonly 4 or 5. The egg laying usually takes place in the morning, at the rate of one egg per day. The eggs are a pale bluish green with few black spots and a smooth, somewhat glossy surface. In response to mite infestation, the mother finch may lay one gender of egg first, which increases the chances of the young finches' survival. The female incubates the eggs for 12 to 14 days. Shortly after hatching, she removes the empty eggshells from the nest. The hatchlings are pink with closed eyes and tufts of fluffy down. The female always feeds the young, and the male usually joins in. The young are silent for the first seven or eight days, and subsequently start peeping during feedings. Initially, the mother carries fecal sac
Fecal sac
A fecal sac is a mucous membrane, generally white or clear with a dark end, that surrounds the feces of some species of nestling birds. It allows parent birds to more easily remove fecal material from the nest...
s out of the nest, but when the young become older, she no longer carries them all away, allowing droppings to accumulate around the edge of the nest. Before flying, the young often climb into adjacent plants, and usually fledge at about 11 to 19 days after hatching. Dandelion seeds are among the preferred seeds fed to the young.
House Finches are aggressive enough to drive other birds away from places such as feeders.
Parasites
The house finch may be infected by a number of parasitesParasitism
Parasitism is a type of symbiotic relationship between organisms of different species where one organism, the parasite, benefits at the expense of the other, the host. Traditionally parasite referred to organisms with lifestages that needed more than one host . These are now called macroparasites...
including Plasmodium relictum and Mycoplasma gallisepticum
Mycoplasma gallisepticum
Mycoplasma gallisepticum is a bacterium belonging to the class Mollicutes and the family Mycoplasmataceae. It is the causative agent of chronic respiratory disease in chickens and infectious sinusitis in turkeys, chickens, game birds, pigeons, and passerine birds of all ages.-Transmission:MG is...
, which caused the population of house finches in eastern North America to crash during the 1990s.
The mite
Mite
Mites, along with ticks, are small arthropods belonging to the subclass Acari and the class Arachnida. The scientific discipline devoted to the study of ticks and mites is called acarology.-Diversity and systematics:...
Pellonyssus reedi is often found on house finch nestlings, particularly for nests later in the season.
The Brown-headed Cowbird
Brown-headed Cowbird
The Brown-headed Cowbird is a small brood parasitic icterid of temperate to subtropical North America. They are permanent residents in the southern parts of their range; northern birds migrate to the southern United States and Mexico in winter, returning to their summer habitat around March or...
, a brood parasite
Brood parasite
Brood parasites are organisms that use the strategy of brood parasitism, a kind of kleptoparasitism found among birds, fish or insects, involving the manipulation and use of host individuals either of the same or different species to raise the young of the brood-parasite...
, will lay its eggs in house finch nests, although the diet house finches feed their young is inadequate for the young cowbirds, which rarely survive.
Book
- Hill, G. E. 1993. House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). In The Birds of North America, No. 46 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists’ Union.
Thesis
- Avery ML. (1983). DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSMISSION OF METHIOCARB-INDUCED FOOD AVERSIONS IN CAPTIVE HOUSE FINCHES (CARPODACUS MEXICANUS). University of California, Davis, United States, California.
- Badyaev AV. (1998). Evolution of sexual dimorphism in birds: Ecological patterns, current selection, and ontogenetic variation. University of Montana, United States, Montana.
- Belthoff JR. (1992). Ecological and hormonal correlates of social dominance in house finches. Clemson University, United States, South Carolina.
- Farmer KL. (2006). Study of a novel host-parasite relationship: Mycoplasma gallisepticum in house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus). Auburn University, United States, Alabama.
- Gaudette MT. (1998). Modeling wetland songbird community integrity in central Pennsylvania. The Pennsylvania State University, United States, Pennsylvania.
- Hamilton TR. (1991). The expansion of the eastern house finch population and its impact on populations of house sparrows, purple finches and American goldfinches. Ball State University, United States, Indiana.
- Hawley DM. (2005). Host heterogeneity and disease resistance in house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus): Integrating genetics, immunity, and social behavior. Cornell University, United States, New York.
- Hess CM. (2005). The evolution of the major histocompatibility complex in house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus). University of Washington, United States, Washington.
- Hill GE. (1991). The evolution of colorful plumage in the house finch. University of Michigan, United States, Michigan.
- Kelly TD. (1991). Impact of agroforestry plantations grown with agricultural drainwater on avian abundance and diversity in the San Joaquin Valley, California. California State University, Fresno, United States, California.
- Kozlovic DR. (1997). Consequences of brood parasitism by cowbirds on house finches in a new area of sympatry. University of Toronto (Canada), Canada.
- Navara KJ. (2005). Yolk androgen deposition in two passerine species: Do females play favorites?. Auburn University, United States, Alabama.
- Randell SM. (1996). A study of avian populations and behavior at a proposed wind energy production facility near Fort Davis, Texas. Sul Ross State University, United States, Texas.
- Thakur S. (1999). Effect of high temperatures and crowding on leukocyte and parasite counts of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus). California State University, Fullerton, United States, California.
- Tobin ME. (1983). CONDITIONED AVERSIONS IN THREE SPECIES OF FRUIT-EATING BIRDS (FINCH, ROBIN, STARLING). University of California, Davis, United States, California.
- Vanderpool KS. (1993). A model for predicting House Sparrow and House Finch ratios in urban southern California. California State University, Fullerton, United States, California.
- Vazquez-Phillips MA. (1992). Population differentiation of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) in North America and the Hawaiian Islands. University of Toronto (Canada), Canada.
- Zahn SN. (1999). Fitness correlates of different color morphs of male house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis). University of California, Santa Barbara, United States, California.
Articles
AnimalBehaviour67:27
- Able KP & Belthoff JR. (1998). Rapid 'evolution' of migratory behaviour in the introduced house finch of eastern North America. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences. p. 7, 1998.
- Aldrich JW. (1983). Rapid Evolution in the House Finch Carpodacus-Mexicanus. Journal of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology. vol 14, no 2-3. pp. 179–186.
- Aldrich JW & Weske JS. (1978). ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF EASTERN HOUSE FINCH POPULATION. Auk. vol 95, no 3. pp. 528–536.
- Aldrich JW & Weske JS. (1978). Origin and Evolution of the Eastern House Finch Population. Auk. vol 95, no 3. pp. 528–536.
- Arnaiz-Villena, A., Moscoso, J., Ruiz-del-Valle, V., Gonzalez, J., Reguera, R., Wink, M., I. Serrano-Vela, J. 2007. Bayesian phylogeny of Fringillinae birds: status of the singular African oriole finch Linurgus olivaceus and evolution and heterogeneity of the genus Carpodacus. Acta Zoologica Sinica, 53 (5):826 - 834. PDF fulltext
- Avery ML. (1996). Food avoidance by adult house finches, Carpodacus mexicanus, affects seed preferences of offspring. Animal Behaviour. vol 51, no 6. pp. 1279–1283.
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- Badyaev AV, Beck ML, Hill GE & Whittingham LA. (2003). The evolution of sexual size dimorphism in the house finch. V. Maternal effects. Evolution. vol 57, no 2. pp. 384–396.
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- Badyaev AV & Hill GE. (2000). The evolution of sexual dimorphism in the house finch. I. Population divergence in morphological covariance structure. Evolution. vol 54, no 5. pp. 1784–1794.
- Badyaev AV & Hill GE. (2002). Paternal care as a conditional strategy: Distinct reproductive tactics associated with elaboration of plumage ornamentation in the house finch. Behavioral Ecology. vol 13, no 5. pp. 591–597.
- Badyaev AV, Hill GE, Dunn PO & Glen JC. (2001). Plumage color as a composite trait: Developmental and functional integration of sexual ornamentation. American Naturalist. vol 158, no 3. pp. 221–235.
- Badyaev AV, Hill GE, Stoehr AM, Nolan PM & McGraw KJ. (2000). The evolution of sexual size dimorphism in the house finch. II. Population divergence in relation to local selection. Evolution. vol 54, no 6. pp. 2134–2144.
- Badyaev AV, Hill GE & Whittingham LA. (2001). The evolution of sexual size dimorphism in the house finch. IV. Population divergence in ontogeny. Evolution. vol 55, no 12. pp. 2534–2549.
- Badyaev AV & Martin TE. (2000). Sexual dimorphism in relation to current selection in the house finch. Evolution. vol 54, no 3. pp. 987–997.
- Badyaev AV, Whittingham LA & Hill GE. (2001). The evolution of sexual size dimorphism in the house finch. III. Developmental basis. Evolution. vol 55, no 1. pp. 176–189.
- Bancroft J & Parsons RJ. (1991). Range Expansion of the House Finch into the Prairie Provinces. Blue Jay. vol 49, no 3. pp. 128–136.
- Belthoff JR, Dufty AM, Jr. & Gauthreaux SA, Jr. (1994). Plumage variation, plasma steroids and social dominance in male House Finches. Condor. vol 96, no 3. pp. 614–625.
- Belthoff JR & Gauthreaux SAJ. (1991). Partial Migration and Differential Winter Distribution of House Finches in the Eastern USA. Condor. vol 93, no 2. pp. 374–382.
- Belthoff JR & Gowaty PA. (1996). Male plumage coloration affects dominance and aggression in female house finches. Bird Behavior. vol 11, no 1. pp. 1–7.
- Bennett WA. (1990). Scale of Investigation and the Detection of Competition an Example from the House Sparrow and House Finch Introductions in North America. American Naturalist. vol 135, no 6. pp. 725–747.
- Bitterbaum E & Baptista LF. (1979). Geographical Variation in Songs of California House Finches Carpodacus-Mexicanus. Auk. vol 96, no 3. pp. 462–474.
- Bittner RA. (1995). House finch at Abernethy in 1990. Blue Jay. vol 53, no 1. pp. 42–43.
- Bosakowski T. (1986). Winter Population Trends of the House Finch Carpodacus-Mexicanus and Ecologically Similar Species in Northeastern New-Jersey USA. American Birds. vol 40, no 4. pp. 1105–1110.
- Calder WA, III. (1981). Diuresis on the Desert? Effects of Fruit Feeding and Nectar Feeding on the House Finch Carpodacus-Mexicanus and Other Species. Condor. vol 83, no 3. pp. 267–268.
- Cook AG. (1984). Birds of the Desert Region of Uintah County Utah USA. Great Basin Naturalist. vol 44, no 4. pp. 584–620.
- Dale J, Lank DB & Reeve HK. (2001). Signaling individual identity versus quality: A model and case studies with ruffs, queleas, and house finches. American Naturalist. vol 158, no 1. pp. 75–86.
- Davis AK. (2005). A comparison of age, size, and health of House Finches captured with two trapping methods. Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 76, no 4. pp. 339–344.
- Dawson WR, Buttemer WA & Carey C. (1985). A Reexamination of the Metabolic Response of House Finches Carpodacus-Mexicanus to Temperature. Condor. vol 87, no 3. pp. 424–427.
- Dawson WR, Marsh RL, Buttemer WA & Carey C. (1983). Seasonal and Geographic Variation of Cold Resistance in House Finches Carpodacus-Mexicanus. Physiological Zoology. vol 56, no 3. pp. 353–369.
- Duckworth RA, Badyaev AV & Parlow AF. (2003). Elaborately ornamented males avoid costly parental care in the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus): A proximate perspective. Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology. vol 55, no 2. pp. 176–183.
- Duckworth RA, Mendonca MT & Hill GE. (2004). Condition-dependent sexual traits and social dominance in the house finch. Behavioral Ecology. vol 15, no 5. pp. 779–784.
- Eason PK. (1998). Predation of a female House Finch, Carpodacus mexicanus, by a Gray Squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis. Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 112, no 4. pp. 713–714.
- Gammon DE & Maurer BA. (2002). Evidence for non-uniform dispersal in the biological invasions of two naturalized North American bird species. Global Ecology & Biogeography. vol 11, no 2. pp. 155–161.
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- Gilbert WM, Nolan PM, Stoehr AM & Hil GE. (2005). Filial cannibalism at a House Finch nest. Wilson Bulletin. vol 117, no 4. pp. 413–415.
- Graham DS. (1987). Frequent Cowbird Parasitism of House Finches Carpodacus-Mexicanus at Guelph Ontario Canada. Ontario Birds. vol 5, no 3. pp. 116–117.
- Graham DS. (1988). House Finch Nest-Site Selection at Guelph Ontario Canada. Condor. vol 90, no 1. pp. 58–60.
- Hill GE. (1990). Female House Finches Prefer Colorful Males Sexual Selection for a Condition-Dependent Trait. Animal Behaviour. vol 40, no 3. pp. 563–572.
- Hill GE. (1992). Proximate Basis of Variation in Carotenoid Pigmentation in Male House Finches. Auk. vol 109, no 1. pp. 1–12.
- Hill GE. (1993). The proximate basis of inter- and intra-population variation in female plumage coloration in the House Finch. Canadian Journal of Zoology. vol 71, no 3. pp. 619–627.
- Hill GE. (1993 (1994)). Male mate choice and the evolution of female plumage coloration in the house finch. Evolution. vol 47, no 5. pp. 1515–1525.
- Hill GE. (1994). Geographic variation in male ornamentation and female mate preference in the house finch: A comparative test of models of sexual selection. Behavioral Ecology. vol 5, no 1. pp. 64–73.
- Hill GE. (1994). GEOGRAPHIC-VARIATION IN MALE ORNAMENTATION AND FEMALE MATE PREFERENCE IN THE HOUSE FINCH - A COMPARATIVE TEST OF MODELS OF SEXUAL SELECTION. Behavioral Ecology. vol 5, no 1. pp. 64–73.
- Hill GE. (1995). Seasonal variation in circulating carotenoid pigments in the house finch. Auk. vol 112, no 4. pp. 1057–1061.
- Hill GE. (1996). Subadult plumage in the house finch and tests of models for the evolution of delayed plumage maturation. Auk. vol 113, no 4. pp. 858–874.
- Hill GE. (1998). Plumage redness and pigment symmetry in the House Finch. Journal of Avian Biology. vol 29, no 1. pp. 86–92.
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- Hill GE & McGraw KI. (2004). Correlated changes in male plumage coloration and female mate choice in cardueline finches. Animal Behaviour. vol 67, no 1. pp. 27–35.
- Hill GE & Montgomerie R. (1994). Plumage colour signals nutritional condition in the house finch. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B Biological Sciences. vol 258, no 1351. pp. 47–52.
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- Hill GE, Nolan PM & Stoehr AM. (1999). Pairing success relative to male plumage redness and pigment symmetry in the house finch: Temporal and geographic constancy. Behavioral Ecology. vol 10, no 1. pp. 48–53.
- Hill JR, III. (1988). The Eastern House Finch Nesting in Purple Martin Houses and Gourds. American Birds. vol 42, no 1. pp. 36–38.
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External links
- Florida's Introduced Birds: House Finch ("Carpodacus mexicanus") - University of Florida fact sheet
- Comprehensive information with sound files at the US Geological Survey site
- House Finch videos, photos & sounds on the Internet Bird Collection
- South Dakota Birds - House Finch Information and Photos
- House Finch Bird Sound
- House finch Carpodacus mexicanus