House Finch, Carpodacus mexicanus
House Finch, adult female, 2/21/04, my back yard, Stanford campus
The female House Finch, left, shot on a natural perch, close to eye level, sharp against an out-of-focus background. The "bird on a stick" is a cliche of avian photography -- but for good reason. It allows us to isolate a bird's essential look. In this case, that look is the quintessence of cool plainness. "I am extraordinarily ordinary."
House Finch, male, 7/5/08, my yard, Stanford campus
House Finch, male, 4/8/06, my back yard, Stanford campus
Males vary in color from the bright red of these alpha guys, all the way to pale orange and even yellow. Diet and hormones both affect the hue.
House Finch, singing male, 4/21/06, my back yard, Stanford campus
The House Finch has a melodious warbling song, and the males sing constantly for nearly half the year from every prominent perch in the neighborhood. They are the most common birds at our back yard feeders.
House Finch, male, 4/29/06, my back yard, Stanford campus
House Finch, female, 4/29/06, my back yard, Stanford campus
House Finch, male, 4/24/07, my back yard, Stanford campus
House Finch, juvenile, 9/28/04, my back yard, Stanford campus
The buffy wingbars and the very heavy streaking mark this one as a juvenile.
1