Haemorhous mexicanus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~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 |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a House Finch sighting in Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 2,195 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 26th most-seen of the 223 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a House Finch in Rocky Mountain National Park on a given day, against about 10% in August, the lowest month.
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.
14th of 36
Of the 36 parks where we can rate House Finch sightings, Rocky Mountain National Park ranks 14th at about 20%. The best odds are in Saguaro National Park (United States, about 70%), Bahía de Loreto National Park (Mexico, about 70%) and Channel Islands National Park (United States, about 70%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the House Finch is recorded against all the birds logged in Rocky Mountain National Park (2,195 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
