Birds of the Northeast

ARCHIVES: June,2004

t starts every year at this time; our Washington bird feeders become active again with “those finches.”  I must confess, even I have trouble with which Finch – Purple Finch?  Or House Finch?  is which.  At times I frankly get tired of trying to keep track of finch species feeding when at our feeder.  Every time I look at the feeder outside of our kitchen window some type of finch (Purple? Or House?) is chowing down on the hulled sunflower seeds.

Of course the State Bird of New Jersey, the Goldfinch, is also using the yard. At this time of year, the males are losing their drab, dull, greenish winter feathers and turning the radiant, deep phone-book yellow color we generally associate with them.  Yet, there are citizens among us who don’t realize the Goldfinches are here all winter long.  Even though I’ve remarked about the Goldfinches and the color changes many times, I still have stalwart neighbors ask me, “What are those dull green birds at my feeder?”  I quickly glance toward the heavens, and pray I don’t make some sarcastic remark like, “Have you been overdosing on herbal tea or something?” or “Is your mind out-to-lunch, while your mouth continues to chatter?”  But I usually smile and say in an imperial tone, “Those are the Goldfinches.  They will molt soon and get their yellow feathers back for the breeding season.”  Ta Da.

But this month we are trying to learn about those two confusing species – the House and Purple Finches.

THE HOUSE FINCH

I will explain to you the disgusting local history of the House Finch.  Actually, you see, these little 5 to 5 ½ inch sparrow-like birds belong in the far-West and California!  No, a couple of them did not slip aboard a TWA flight and end up in New York.  It’s a more logical yarn than that.  In 1941, an observant birdwatching- type fellow noticed 20 House Finches for sale in a pet shop in Brooklyn.  The pet shop called them “Hollywood Finches.”  It was as illegal then as it is now to capture and sell our native birds.  The law is called the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which protects all species of bird in this country – except the European Starling and the English House Sparrow.  It protects our native species from being exploited, sold , or killed for profit.

So, it seems, some stupid, profit-hungry gang of birdnappers were capturing House Finches in the West and selling them as caged birds in the East.  A big no-no.  There were at least twenty pet shops selling the captured birds.  Amid the furor of arresting pet shop owners and wholesalers, at least one pet shop owner simply got rid of the hot birds by releasing them in Brooklyn.  On April 11, 1941, a male House Finch was reported at Jones’ Beach, and the rest, as they say, is history.  We have breeding House Finches in the East, which of course, includes New Jersey.  The species is “spreading West” and very soon – in a matter of years – the House Finches will be all over the country.  The Eastern bunch meeting their Western pals probably in Nebraska.

Meanwhile, the Purple Finch went along doing its finchy things.  After all, they were here first – by thousands of years.

Until April, probably any reddish (speaking of the males) finches at your feeders have most likely been House Finches.  The Purple Finches migrated in the fall from our area.  But from now on, the Purple Finches will be in our yards too.

THE PURPLE FINCH

Let’s first master the drab females.  The female Purple Finch has a broad, white line going from the eye toward the back of the head.  Let us try to remember this little associative trick: “the female Purple Finch has a white ‘crown’ line.”  It is where a crown would come.  If she had one.  Purple is a “regal” color, the color of kings and queens with crowns.  Bingo, we have learned the drab finch females with the while eye-bar as Purple Finches.  The other drab female finches at your feeder are doubtless the relocated House Finches.

Now let’s try to master the male finches.  The easiest field mark I look for on the House and Purple Finch males is the tail.  The tail of the Purple Finch looks short (compared to the body) and is deeply notched.  Remember this associative trick: ‘purple’ has two syllables, and the tip of the tail has two distinct parts, i.e. the ‘notch.’  The House Finch males’ tail looks longer in proportion to its body and the tip of the tail is more “flat” across – like the boards of a house. Aren’t we getting clever?

In the head pattern of the Purple Finch males, the entire head is colored (or at least tinged) with some reddish shade.  It has a rather evenly stained, dull, purplish-rose colored head.

The House Finch male has a brighter red throat and forehead contrasting with the duller and browner crown, nape, and ear coverts.  It’s the ear coverts – the area where we would think the ears should be − which are brownish.  These are easy to spot.

Please do not lose any sleep over all this.  It is a bug-a-boo to learn.  You will not have a written quiz on it.  I promise.  But I hope you have gleaned something from this little lesson.  You can stun your friends at the next cocktail party by saying something quick-witted like, “Most of the finches at my feeder are House Finches, but I occasionally see a Purple Finch.  I can tell by the deeply notched tail.  They both seem to enjoy the sunflower seed I have out.”

Take a few minutes to clean your suet feeders as the weather warms.  Keep them filled with small bits of suet until the weather gets persistently above 50 degrees in the daytime.

When your seed feeders get low, dump the remaining seed and clean the washable parts with a weak soapy solution. A tiny bit of liquid bleach may be added to further disinfect. RINSE very thoroughly. Allow to dry in the sun.

By the second week of April, your hummingbird feeders should be out and ¼ filled with solution -1 part sugar to 4 parts water. Boiled 2 minutes. DO NOT USE FOOD COLORING!

Keep looking up!