Nest DescriptionĪ House Finch’s nest is a cup made of fine stems, leaves, rootlets, thin twigs, string, wool, and feathers, with similar, but finer materials for the lining. Occasionally House Finches use the abandoned nests of other birds. They also nest in or on buildings, using sites like vents, ledges, street lamps, ivy, and hanging planters. House Finches nest in a variety of deciduous and coniferous trees as well as on cactus and rock ledges.
At feeders they eat black oil sunflower over the larger, striped sunflower seeds, millet, and milo. In orchards, House Finches eat cherries, apricots, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries, blackberries, and figs. Wild foods include wild mustard seeds, knotweed, thistle, mulberry, poison oak, cactus, and many other species. House Finches eat almost exclusively plant materials, including seeds, buds and fruits. In their native range in the West, House Finches live in natural habitats including dry desert, desert grassland, chaparral, oak savannah, streamsides, and open coniferous forests at elevations below 6,000 feet. In rural areas, you can also find House Finches around barns and stables. House Finches are familiar birds of human-created habitats including buildings, lawns, small conifers, and urban centers.