A COMPANY OF FINCHES
Article By Jeannie Marcure
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Did you know that a group of finches can be called a
charm, a company or a trembling?
Personally, I like to refer to the group that frequents
our feeders as a company, since their large,
invasive flocks remind me of a military company or at
times even a battalion!
The various members of the finch family are some of the
most colorful birds in our area and the House Finch is
one of our most common and easily attracted feeder
birds. Sometimes, especially in the winter months,
flocks of 30 or more visit our feeders regularly,
entertaining us daily with their cheery songs and
devouring sack upon sack of seed!! It was while
observing one of these flocks a few years ago that I
first discovered a bird that looked just a little
different and after some study became acquainted with
the Cassin’s Finch.
Named after John Cassin, America’s first taxonomist and
a renowned curator of the Philadelphia Academy of
Natural Sciences, the Cassin’s Finch is slightly larger
than the House Finch and appears to have a larger head
and a longer neck. Although both have the chunky,
conical bill typical of seed eaters, the Cassin’s bill
is slightly longer and flat on top, while the upper bill
of the House Finch is more rounded. If you are lucky
enough to get to compare two males, the difference will
be quite easy to see. The House Finch male has a band of
red or orange on its forehead and a wash of color on its
chest, while the male Cassin’s has a rich red crown,
almost like a cherry on top of its head and perhaps a
faint wash of pink or red on its throat and chest. This
distinctive crown is often raised to produce a short and
rather spiky crest. Separating the females is more
difficult, but again the Cassin’s is slightly larger and
appears to have a longer neck. Also, both the male and
female Cassin’s have more distinctive facial markings
than their House Finch counterparts.
At this point I would be remiss not to mention that
there is a third species, the Purple Finch, which could
easily be confused with the other two. However, unlike
the Cassin’s and House Finch, the Purple Finch is a
rather rare sighting in our area and for that reason
I’ve chosen not to include it in my comparison. For a
detailed account of how to separate these 3 similar
finches, go to:
www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/AboutBirdsandFeeding/finchIDtable.html
House and Cassin’s Finch may also be distinguished by
where they’re seen. As I mentioned earlier, House
Finches are commonly seen throughout our area all year
long, both in rural and urban areas, while Cassin’s
Finches prefer to spend their summers at higher
elevations in coniferous fir and spruce forests.
However, during the winter months, the Cassin’s Finches
move to lower elevations and the two may intermingle in
large flocks. During this time the Cassin’s Finches will
readily come to seed feeders, offering the host birder a
chance to study them and hone their identification
skills.
Cassin’s Finches breed in open stands of conifers
throughout the western mountains of North America. Their
favorite foods are seeds and buds and they are often
seen foraging on the ground for these as well as
insects, wild berries and rock salt. They especially
crave the salt and frequently visit mineral deposits.
According to Sibley, Cassin’s Finches are loosely
colonial while nesting and the male defends the female
and a small territory around the nest. They usually
breed first at the age of one year or less and,
interestingly, the juvenile males stay in their
female-like plumage during this first breeding season
but sing like the older, more colorful males. During
courtship, the male raises his crest and flutters his
wings rapidly. The female begs for food from her
prospective mate by flapping her wings, crouching and
emitting soft cries. The male then responds with either
mock feeding or by actually regurgitating a small amount
of food into the female’s mouth. The nest of mosses,
twigs and roots is built primarily by the female and
placed in a conifer. The 3-6 blue-green eggs have dark
markings and are incubated for 12 to 14 days. The
altricial young fledge after about 14 days.
Unfortunately, the Montana Bird Distribution Charts
currently list Cassin’s Finch as a species of concern.
The primary cause of their decline is thought to be the
destruction of habitat due to logging and development.
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