House finch, male (Carpodacus mexicanus)
(Click picture to enlarge)
"Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come." ~ Chinese Proverb
The house finch or common finch spends the entire year in our area. They have nested atop our large front columns and fill the air with a lovely warble each morning and evening as the male sits at the tip of the gable. These small birds are similar to the purple finch, except they are more ruby than magenta and they have underlying stripes on their breasts while the purple finch does not. Here, the purple finch is only seen in winter. These little creatures love our feeder, especially the platform where up to seven or eight may gather for sunflower chips and cracked corn. Very social, they mix well with goldfinch, sparrows... practically any other bird of its size. As with many species.. the female tends to be a dull brown in color a very like many different types of sparrows and the female pine siskin.
The day is always brighter when these small carolers show up... no matter what the time of year! Many other rubies may be seen at Ruby Tuesday each week.
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