House Finch

Taxobox
name = House Finch
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1
status_ref = [IUCN2006|assessors=BirdLife International|year=2004|id=53468|title=Carpodacus mexicanus|downloaded=12 May 2006]

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image_width = 250px
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Fringillidae
genus = "Carpodacus"
species = "C. mexicanus"
binomial = "Carpodacus mexicanus"
binomial_authority = (Müller, 1776)
range_

---

range_map_width = 250px

The House Finch ("Carpodacus mexicanus") is a medium-sized finch of the Rosefinch genus.

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.cite book | author=Sibley, David | title=The Sibley Guide to Birds | publisher=Knopf | year=2000 | isbn=0679451226] cite book | author=Steve N. G. Howell and Sophie Webb | title=A Guide to the Birds of Mexico and Northern Central America | publisher=Oxford University Press | year=1995 | pages=757-758 | isbn=0198540124] This color sometimes extends to the stomach 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.cite web | author=Caldwell, Eldon R. | title=IV Birds - House Finch | url=http://www.imperial.edu/birds/h-finch.htm | accessdate=2008-04-19] cite web | title=All About Birds: House Finch | url=http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/House_Finch_dtl.html | publisher=Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology | accessdate=2008-04-19] 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. [ [http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/Song/h5190so.mp3 House finch "Carpodacus mexicanus"] ]

Range and habitat

These birds are mainly permanent residents; some eastern birds migrate south.cite journal | last=Belthoff and Gauthreaux | first=James R. and Sidney A. | title=Partial Migration and Differential Winter Distribution of House Finches in the Eastern United States | journal=The Condor | volume=93 | issue=2 | date=1991 | url=http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v093n02/p0374-p0382.pdf ] Their breeding habitat is urban and suburban areas in the East 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 as "Hollywood Finches", a marketing artifice. To avoid prosecution, vendors and owners released the birds. They have become naturalized; in some unforested areas, they have displaced the native Purple Finch and nonnative House Sparrow.cite journal | last = Wootton | first = JT. date = 1987 | journal = Oecologia | volume = 71 | number = 3
title = Interspecific Competition between Introduced House Finch Populations and Two Associated Passerine Species | pages= 325–331
doi = 10.1007/BF00378703
year = 1987 ] In 1870, or before, they were introduced into Hawaii.cite journal | last=Caum | first=E.L. | title=The exotic birds of Hawaii | journal=Bishop Museum Occasional Papers | volume=10 | issue=9 | date=1933]

Feeding

House Finches forage on the ground or in vegetation. They primarily eat grains, seeds and berries, being voracious consumers of weed seeds such as nettle and dandelion; included are incidental small insects such as aphids. They are frequent visitors to feeders 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. [cite web | url=http://fwp.mt.gov/fieldguide/detail_ABPBY04040.aspx |title=House finch detailed information | author=Montana state government |accessdate=2007-08-14]

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 m to 2.7 m (6 to 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 imitates the posture of a hungry chick, actually feed her. The male also feeds the female during the breeding and incubation of both eggs and young.cite journal | last=Thompson | first=William L | title=Agonistic Behavior in the House Finch. Part I: Annual Cycle and Display Patterns | journal=The Condor | volume=62 | issue=4 | publisher=University of California PressCooper Ornithological Society | date=1960 | url=http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v062n04/p0245-p0271.pdf | accessdate=2008-06-28 | accessyear=2008]

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 actual 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.cite journal | last=Badyaev, Hamstra, Oh, Seaman
first=Alexander V., Terri L., Kevin P., Dana A. Acevedo
publisher=National Academy of Sciences (United States)
journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
date=September 26, 2006
volume=103
number=39
title=Sex-biased maternal effects reduce ectoparasite-induced mortality in a passerine bird
doi=10.1073/pnas.0602452103
url=http://www.pnas.org/content/103/39/14406.full
accessdate=2008-07-25 | accessyear=2008 ] The female incubates the eggs for 12 to 14 days. Shortly after hatching, she removes the empty eggshells from the nest.cite journal| journal=Smithsonian Institution United States National Museum Bulletin | year=1968 | last = Woods | first = Robert S. | url=http://www.birdsbybent.com/ch41-50/houfinch.html | title=Life Histories of Familiar North American Birds: House Finch | number = 237 | pages = 290–314 ] The young are pink with closed eye and tufts of fluffy down at hatching. [cite web | title="House Finch Nest Survey" | url = http://www.birds.cornell.edu/hofi/hofins4.pdf | accessdate=2008-06-28 ] 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.cite journal | last=Evanden | first=Fred G. | title=Observations on Nesting Behavior of the House Finch | journal=The Condor | volume=59 | issue=2 | publisher=University of California Press/Cooper Ornithological Society | date=1957 | url=http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v059n02/p0112-p0117.pdf | accessdate=2008-06-28 | accessyear=2008] Initially, the mother carries fecal sacs out of the nest, but when the young become older, she no longer carries away all fecal sacs, 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.cite web | title=A Study of the House Finch |author=Bergtold, W.H. | work=The Auk | year=1913 |url=http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v030n01/p0040-p0073.pdf | accessdate=2008-05-23]

House Finches are one of the few birds that are aggressive enough to keep House Sparrows out of their birdhouse and evict them.Fact|date=April 2008

Parasites

The house finch may be infected by a number of parasites including "Plasmodium relictum"cite journal | last=Hartup, Oberc, Stott-Messick, Davis, and Swarthout | first=Barry K., Allison, Briana, and Elliott C.H. | title=Blood Parasites of House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) from Georgia and New York | journal=Journal of Wildlife Diseases | volume=44 | issue=2 | date=April 2008 ] and "Mycoplasma gallisepticum", which caused the population of house finches in eastern North America to crash during the 1990s.cite journal | last=Nolan, Hill, and Stoehr | first=Paul M., Geoffrey E., and Andrew M. | title = Sex, Size, and Plumage Redness Predict House Finch Survival in an Epidemic | journal = Proceedings: Biological Sciences | publisher = The Royal Society | volume = 265 | number = 1400 | date = 7 June 1998 | url=http://journals.royalsociety.org/content/g2mlgg7n4mwpwtw8/fulltext.pdf ]

The mite "Pellonyssus reedi" is often found on house finch nestlings, particularly for nests later in the season.cite journal | last=Stoehr, Nolan, Hill, and McGraw | first = Andrew M., Paul M., Geoffrey E., Kevin J. | title=Nest mites (Pellonyssus reedi) and the reproductive biology of the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) | journal=The Canadian Journal of Zoology | date = 2000 | url=http://www.public.asu.edu/~kjmcgraw/pubs/Can.J.Zool.00MS.pdf ]

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.cite journal | last=Kozlovic, Knapton, and Barlow | first=Daniel R., Richard W., and Jon C. | title=Unsuitability of the House Finch as a Host of the Brown-Headed Cowbird | journal=The Condor | volume=96 | issue=2 | date=1996 | url=http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Condor/files/issues/v098n02/p0253-p0258.pdf ]

References

Further reading

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

* 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. p. 179-186.
* Aldrich JW & Weske JS. (1978). "ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION OF EASTERN HOUSE FINCH POPULATION". Auk. vol 95, no 3. p. 528-536.
* Aldrich JW & Weske JS. (1978). "Origin and Evolution of the Eastern House Finch Population". Auk. vol 95, no 3. p. 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. [http://www.actazool.org/pdftemp/%7BC6BDA075-F92E-48AF-815F-98BED7C65FE5%7D.pdf PDF fulltext]
* Avery ML. (1996). "Food avoidance by adult house finches, Carpodacus mexicanus, affects seed preferences of offspring". Animal Behaviour. vol 51, no 6. p. 1279-1283.
* Avery ML, Schreiber CL & Decker DG. (1999). "Fruit sugar preferences of House Finches". Wilson Bulletin. vol 111, no 1. p. 84-88.
* 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. p. 384-396.
* Badyaev AV, Hamstra TL, Oh KP & Seaman DAA. (2006). "Sex-biased maternal effects reduce ectoparasite-induced mortality in a passerine bird". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. vol 103, no 39. p. 14406-14411.
* 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. p. 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. p. 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. p. 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. p. 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. p. 2534-2549.
* Badyaev AV & Martin TE. (2000). "Sexual dimorphism in relation to current selection in the house finch". Evolution. vol 54, no 3. p. 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. p. 176-189.
* Bancroft J & Parsons RJ. (1991). "Range Expansion of the House Finch into the Prairie Provinces". Blue Jay. vol 49, no 3. p. 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. p. 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. p. 374-382.
* Belthoff JR & Gowaty PA. (1996). "Male plumage coloration affects dominance and aggression in female house finches". Bird Behavior. vol 11, no 1. p. 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. p. 725-747.
* Bitterbaum E & Baptista LF. (1979). "Geographical Variation in Songs of California House Finches Carpodacus-Mexicanus". Auk. vol 96, no 3. p. 462-474.
* Bittner RA. (1995). "House finch at Abernethy in 1990". Blue Jay. vol 53, no 1. p. 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. p. 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. p. 267-268.
* Cook AG. (1984). "Birds of the Desert Region of Uintah County Utah USA". Great Basin Naturalist. vol 44, no 4. p. 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. p. 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. p. 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. p. 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. p. 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. p. 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. p. 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. p. 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. p. 155-161.
* Giesbrecht DS & Ankney CD. (1998). "Predation risk and foraging behaviour: An experimental study of birds at feeders". Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 112, no 4. p. 668-675.
* Gilbert WM, Nolan PM, Stoehr AM & Hil GE. (2005). "Filial cannibalism at a House Finch nest". Wilson Bulletin. vol 117, no 4. p. 413-415.
* Graham DS. (1987). "Frequent Cowbird Parasitism of House Finches Carpodacus-Mexicanus at Guelph Ontario Canada". Ontario Birds. vol 5, no 3. p. 116-117.
* Graham DS. (1988). "House Finch Nest-Site Selection at Guelph Ontario Canada". Condor. vol 90, no 1. p. 58-60.
* Hill GE. (1990). "Female House Finches Prefer Colorful Males Sexual Selection for a Condition-Dependent Trait". Animal Behaviour. vol 40, no 3. p. 563-572.
* Hill GE. (1992). "Proximate Basis of Variation in Carotenoid Pigmentation in Male House Finches". Auk. vol 109, no 1. p. 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. p. 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. p. 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. p. 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. p. 64-73.
* Hill GE. (1995). "Seasonal variation in circulating carotenoid pigments in the house finch". Auk. vol 112, no 4. p. 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. p. 858-874.
* Hill GE. (1998). "Plumage redness and pigment symmetry in the House Finch". Journal of Avian Biology. vol 29, no 1. p. 86-92.
* Hill GE. (2001). "Pox and plumage coloration in the House Finch: A critique of Zahn and Rothstein". Auk. vol 118, no 1. p. 256-260.
* Hill GE & McGraw KI. (2004). "Correlated changes in male plumage coloration and female mate choice in cardueline finches". Animal Behaviour. vol 67, no 1. p. 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. p. 47-52.
* Hill GE, Montgomerie R, Roeder C & Boag P. (1994). "Sexual selection and cuckoldry in a monogamous songbird: Implications for sexual selection theory". Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology. vol 35, no 3. p. 193-199.
* 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. p. 48-53.
* Hill JR, III. (1988). "The Eastern House Finch Nesting in Purple Martin Houses and Gourds". American Birds. vol 42, no 1. p. 36-38.
* Hooge PN. (1990). "Maintenance of Pair-Bonds in the House Finch". Condor. vol 92, no 4. p. 1066-1067.
* Horn DJ, Abdallah M, Bastian MK, DeMartini JR & Wilhelmi RM. (2003). "Bird abundance at feeders increases with decreasing distance to cover". Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science. vol 96, no 4. p. 247-254.
* Hosseini PR, Dobson AP & Dhondt AA. (2004). "The effects of seasonal breeding and social structure on wildlife disease: the House Finch - MG system". Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting Abstracts. vol 89, no 230.
* Hughes JW & Hudson FK. (1997). "Songbird nest placement in Vermont Christmas tree plantations". Canadian Field Naturalist. vol 111, no 4. p. 580-585.
* Kozlovic DR. (1998). "Parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds and productivity of House Finch hosts". Canadian Journal of Zoology. vol 76, no 9. p. 1714-1721.
* Kozlovic DR, Knapton RW & Barlow JC. (1996). "Unsuitability of the house finch as a host of the brown-headed cowbird". Condor. vol 98, no 2. p. 253-258.
* Lindstrom KM, Hawley DM, Davis AK & Wikelski M. (2005). "Stress responses and disease in three wintering house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) populations along a latitudinal gradient". General & Comparative Endocrinology. vol 143, no 3. p. 231-239.
* MacMillen RE & Hinds DS. (1998). "Water economy of granivorous birds: California house finches". Condor. vol 100, no 3. p. 493-503.
* McClure HE. (1989). "Occurrence of Feather Mites Proctophyllodidae among Birds of Ventura County Lowlands California USA". Journal of Field Ornithology. vol 60, no 4. p. 431-450.
* McGraw KJ & Hill GE. (2000). "Plumage brightness and breeding-season dominance in the House Finch: A negatively correlated handicap?". Condor. vol 102, no 2. p. 456-461.
* McGraw KJ & Hill GE. (2002). "Testing reversed sexual dominance from an ontogenetic perspective: Juvenile female house finches Carpodacus mexicanus are dominant to juvenile males". Ibis. vol 144, no 1. p. 139-142.
* McGraw KJ & Hill GE. (2004). "Mate attentiveness, seasonal timing of breeding and long-term pair bonding in the house finch (Carpodacus mexicanus)". Behaviour. vol 141, no 1. p. 1-13.
* McGraw KJ & Hill GE. (2004). "Plumage color as a dynamic trait: carotenoid pigmentation of male house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) fades during the breeding season". Canadian Journal of Zoology. vol 82, no 5. p. 734-738.
* McGraw KJ, Stoehr AM, Nolan PM & Hill GE. (2001). "Plumage redness predicts breeding onset and reproductive success in the House Finch: a validation of Darwin's theory". Journal of Avian Biology. vol 32, no 1. p. 90-94.
* Mundinger P. (1975). "SONG DIALECTS AND COLONIZATION IN HOUSE FINCH, CARPODACUS-MEXICANUS, ON EAST COAST". Condor. vol 77, no 4. p. 407-422.
* Mundinger PC. (1979). "Call Learning in the Carduelinae Ethological and Systematic Considerations". Systematic Zoology. vol 28, no 3. p. 270-283.
* Mundinger PC. (1982). "Winter Range Expansion of the Eastern House Finch Carpodacus-Mexicanus from Annual Christmas Bird Count Data 1950-1979". American Association for the Advancement of Science Abstracts of Papers of the National Meeting. vol 148, no 142.
* Nolan PM & Hill GE. (2004). "Female choice for song characteristics in the house finch". Animal Behaviour. vol 67, no Part 3. p. 403-410.
* Nolan PM, Stoehr AM, Hill GE & McGraw KJ. (2001). "The number of provisioning visits by House Finches predicts the mass of food delivered". Condor. vol 103, no 4. p. 851-855.
* O'Connor TP. (1992). "Possible mechanism for seasonal acclimatization in the house finch". American Zoologist. vol 32, no 5.
* O'Connor TP. (1993). "An examination of seasonal acclimatization in the house finch". American Zoologist. vol 33, no 5.
* O'Connor TP. (1996). "Geographic variation in metabolic seasonal acclimatization in house finches". Condor. vol 98, no 2. p. 371-381.
* Power DM. (1979). "Evolution in Peripheral Isolated Populations Carpodacus Finches on the California Islands USA". Evolution. vol 33, no 3. p. 834-847.
* Power DM. (1983). "Variability in Island Populations of the House Finch Carpodacus-Mexicanus". Auk. vol 100, no 1. p. 180-187.
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External links

* [http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i5190id.html Comprehensive information with sound files at the US Geological Survey site]
* [http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=8805 House Finch videos] on the Internet Bird Collection
* [http://sdakotabirds.com/species/house_finch_info.htm South Dakota Birds - House Finch Information and Photos]