Backyard tales...Red alert...the male House Finch.
A male House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) perched on a backyard blackberry bush. I’ve seen this bird practically every day in recent months but only ever see one male. Just recently I’ve seen it hanging out with a female house finch.
The male gets its usual red or orangey colour from pigments in its diet, primarily from berries and fruit. When a bird is molting (loosing its feathers) its diet will determine the colours of its new feathers. If a diet lacks certain pigments, then a House Finch may end up orange or yellow instead of its usual red. (Source AllAboutBirds.org)
Did you know that females prefer to mate with the reddest male they can find. Nature is truly amazing!
Backyard tales...Red alert...the male House Finch.
A male House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) perched on a backyard blackberry bush. I’ve seen this bird practically every day in recent months but only ever see one male. Just recently I’ve seen it hanging out with a female house finch.
The male gets its usual red or orangey colour from pigments in its diet, primarily from berries and fruit. When a bird is molting (loosing its feathers) its diet will determine the colours of its new feathers. If a diet lacks certain pigments, then a House Finch may end up orange or yellow instead of its usual red. (Source AllAboutBirds.org)
Did you know that females prefer to mate with the reddest male they can find. Nature is truly amazing!