The House Finch

We have been watching several House Finches at our bird feeder this morning. These are not my pictures because by the time I grab my camera, they are gone. But anyway, I called my Bird Consultant (Thanks, Dad) and described the
bird. Then it's just a matter of finding a good picture on the internet. The male is the one with red on it's head and breast.
So, the House Finch is a common bird in the eastern United States. However, it is native to the Southwestern U.S. and Mexico. In 1940, a small number of House Finches were turned loose on Long Island and over the next 50 years, they spread over the entire eastern U.S. and southern Canada.
Also, The red or yellow color of a male House Finch comes from pigments that it gets in its food during molt. The more pigment in the food, the redder the male. Females prefer to mate with the reddest male they can find, perhaps assuring that they get a capable male who can find enough food to feed the nestlings.