Haemorhous mexicanus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days >90%
The house finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) is a North American bird in the finch family. It is native to Mexico and southwestern United States, but has since been introduced to the eastern part of North America and Hawaiʻi, and is found year-round in almost all parts of the United States and most of Mexico, with breeding grounds well into Canada as far north as northern Alberta. There are estimated to be 40 million house finches across North America, making it the second-most populous finch, just behind the American goldfinch. The house finch and the other two American rosefinches (Cassin's and purple finch) are placed in the genus Haemorhous.
House finches are mainly permanent residents throughout their range; some birds migrate to the south, with adult females moving longer distances than males. Their breeding habitat is urban and suburban areas across North America, as well as various semi-open areas in the west from southern Canada to the Mexican state of Oaxaca; the population in central Chiapas may be descended from escaped cagebirds. Analyses of nest records from house finches in California spanning more than a century found that egg‐laying occurred... Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tijuana | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 2 | Mexico City | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 3 | Torreón | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 4 | Puebla | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 5 | Salt Lake City | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Phoenix | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | León | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 9 | Toluca | 🇲🇽 México | |
| 10 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prague Zoo | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Parque museo La Venta | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 4 | National Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Rákosův pavilon | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 6 | Velemlokárium | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 7 | Primarily Primates Inc. | 🇺🇸 United States |
Very likely
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a House Finch sighting in Denver on a given day, based on 62,320 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 2nd most-seen of the 299 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 90% of wildlife watchers report a House Finch in Denver on a given day, against about 70% in April and November–February, the lowest months. Those are among Denver's wettest months, with about 55 mm of rain a month against 15 mm in January.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most House Finch sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 41 cities where we can rate House Finch sightings, Denver ranks 10th at about 80%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Tijuana (México, about 80%), Mexico City (México, about 80%) and Torreón (México, about 80%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the House Finch is recorded against all the birds logged in Denver (62,320 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
