House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus Müller       Field Guide IDs: NG-448; G-316; PE-270; PW-pl 55; AE-pl 410; AW-pl 460; AM(III)-332 Nest Location Nest Type Eggs & Mating System Dev. & Parental Care Primary & 2ndary Diet.. Foraging Strategy F I: 12-14 DAYS ALTRICIAL SHRUB BUILDING 5 feet - 35 feet CAVITY F 4-5 (2-6) MONOG (POLYGYN) F: 11-19 DAYS MF FRUIT BUDS TREE SAP FOLIAGE GLEAN BREEDING: Arid scrub, open woodland, urban areas, cultivated land. 1-3 broods, possibly dependent on age of adults. DISPLAYS: Courtship: singing male follows female, fluttering wings; hops about female with raised tail, drooped wings, raised head and crest feathers, continues singing. Female may sing short song. NEST: Variable placement including appropriation of other species' nests; of twigs, grass, debris, leaves, rootlets, hair. Often reused for later broods. EGGS: Bluish-white or pale bluish-green, sparsely marked with brown, black, often wreathed. 0.8" (19 mm). DIET: Consumes virtually no insects; feeds nestlings almost entirely on seeds. CONSERVATION: Winters within N.A. Uncommon cowbird host in w, common host in e. Historic range confined to w; established in early 1940s on Long Island and now spread throughout e. Range in w also expanding. NOTES: Competition with House Sparrow in n e appears to be important factor in the sparrow s decline there. Incubating female occ fed by male. Average clutch size in w is 4, in e 5. Young highly variable in rate of posthatchlng development. Songs more complex in CA than in e. Flocks in nonbreeding season. STANFORD. NOTES: Abundant resident in various habitats throughout campus. Frequently nests on artificial substrates, such as planters and the eaves of buildings. ....Similar Species: Purple Finch ESSAYS: Feeding Birds; Vocal Functions; Average Clutch Size REFERENCES: Aldrich and Weske, 1978; Bitterbaum and Baptista, 1979; Kricher, 1983; Leck, 1987; Wootton, 1987.