{"id":2267,"date":"2019-10-11T22:20:03","date_gmt":"2019-10-11T22:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.megforward.com\/birds\/?p=2267"},"modified":"2022-03-31T20:07:44","modified_gmt":"2022-03-31T20:07:44","slug":"summer-finches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.megforward.com\/birds\/index.php\/2019\/10\/11\/summer-finches\/","title":{"rendered":"Summer Finches"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Enjoy this rainbow of colors among the birds of Fringillidae<\/strong>, the finch family …<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Painted Bunting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Male Cardinal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Female Goldfinch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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White-throated Sparrow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Bachman’s Sparrow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Male House Sparrow<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Male Goldfinch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Female Cardinal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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House Finch Pair<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Rufous-sided Towhee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Can you detect what these different species have in common? <\/strong> It’s the cone-shaped bill, adapted for eating seeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My favorite finch, a summer resident of Eastern North Carolina, is the American Goldfinch <\/strong>(Spinus tristis<\/em>). Here’s the male bird in all his glory …<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The female is also a pretty bird, but a bit dull in comparison to the male…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Although they are related, look at the difference in size between the American Goldfinch<\/strong> and the Northern Cardinal<\/strong> …<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another of the larger members of the finch family is the Rufous-sided Towhee, <\/strong>(Pipilo erythrophthalmus<\/em>) …<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here’s a Pine Siskin<\/strong> (Spinus pinus<\/em>) at a bird feeder. Note that the bill of this bird is more slender than that of other finches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Much more abundant, the House Finch <\/strong>(Haemorhous mexicanus), <\/em>is a gregarious, year-round resident. Comfortable around human structures, this bird is a regular at bird feeders. As the name indicates, the House Finch<\/strong> nests on or near buildings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Male House Finch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Female House Finch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Did you notice that some male House Finches seem much redder than others? <\/strong>That redness comes from eating more red-colored food. It is said that the females prefer to mate with the reddest male they can find. Here’s the reddest male I’ve encountered so far…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here’s a juvenile male, developing his red plumage…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Special Relatives<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

At the local PetSmart<\/em> store, I encountered some exotic finches. These caged birds are not true finches, but are classified in the Estrildidae<\/strong> family, native to Australasia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Society Finch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Zebra Finch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Society Finch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Goldfinches<\/strong>
Sometimes goldfinches one by one will drop <\/em>
From low hung branches; little space they stop; <\/em>
But sip, and twitter, and their feathers sleek; <\/em>
Then off at once, as in a wanton freak: <\/em>
Or perhaps, to show their black, and golden wings <\/em>
Pausing upon their yellow flutterings. <\/em> <\/p>-John Keats<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Read more about another member of the finch family:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n