Haemorhous mexicanus
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
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 |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a House Finch sighting in Yosemite National Park on a given day, based on 107 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 107th most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a House Finch in Yosemite National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of Yosemite National Park's wettest months, with about 180 mm of rain against 25 mm in September.
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.
26th of 36
Of the 36 parks where we can rate House Finch sightings, Yosemite National Park ranks 26th at under 5%. 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.
Same genus: Haemorhous
The closest relatives of the House Finch that you can see in Yosemite National Park (genus Haemorhous, American Rosefinches) are Purple Finch (about 20%) and Cassin's Finch (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the House Finch is recorded against all the birds logged in Yosemite National Park (107 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.
