We started putting birdseed on our balcony for the amusement of our indoors-only cats. Among the kinds of birds who appear are brightly colored finches along with plain brown ones that I assume are male and female of the same species. The presumed males (assuming that the males are brighter as so often happens with birds) have a rich red coloration around their faces which fades to brown in the throat and shoulder area. They look almost as if they had ducked their heads into bright red paint.
There are some other finches, namely Purple Finch and Cassin’s Finch, that are somewhat similar, but House Finch would be the one expected in southern California. House Finches were originally native to the western US, but were introduced to the eastern US about 50 years ago and now have spread virtually throughout the country.
My house finches also sometimes go to the hummingbird feeders, but they don’t seem to be drinking from them. I was wondering whether they were eating ants.
I was going to post a picture of a dead bird I found on my deck yesterday, but I think I identified it. It apparently is a female American Redstart, which I’ve never seen before, and the distribution maps don’t show them in Texas even (I’m around Dallas). Are there birding groups that I can ask these questions of, or report sightings?
