Hey, Xema (or alternate bird people)

[Oeditpus Rex]

There was a bird outside my window just now. Looked like a sparrow, but it had a red head and throat, and it sang real pretty.

Any idea what kind it might be? (I live in central Kollyforniya, about 25 miles inland.)

[havocmom]

1. Did it look like this:

If so, House finch

[Oeditpus Rex]

2. Wasn't red that far down

Just on its throat.

That's pretty close, though.

[havocmom]

5. Look at some more pics. Might have been a female?

The pic I posted is of a pretty vivid male. Some are not as dramatic. Check out some more pictures here and see if anything looks familiar. House finches are sorta nice to have around. They are pretty smart. have seen two or three males get on my feeder and flap their wings together to move it and shake down seed so the whole flock can eat! They are pretty fun to have around.

http://images.google.com/images?q=house+finch&hl=en&btnG=Search+Images

[greatauntoftriplets]

8. Doesn't that entirely suck that male birds tend to have more color...

than the females? :(

[havocmom]

10. Nah, I just think of it as targets on them

for kitties to chase

There is a nifty song from the musical 'Hair' called My Opinion (I think)

I would just like to say
that it is my opinion that
long hair and other flamboyant affectations
of appearance are nothing more
than the males emergence
from his dull camouflage
into the gaudy plumage
that is the birthright
of his sex

I always got a chuckle from that one.

[Oeditpus Rex]

12. k, guess it was a house finch

Looked like this one:





Real pretty song. He can hang around all he wants.

[havocmom]

14. Seeds in a feeder, fresh water, changed daily,

some shrubs for cover... that ought to do it for improving your immediate 'hood.

They are great to have around. I had a couple who were regular gardening buddies.

My daughter found a fledgling stranded on our patio in Tucson. He was hot, thirsty and just too tired to try to fly despite the encouragement his parents were desperately giving him to get up on the wall or mesquite tree. He was just about cooked, panting with beak open when she called me at work to ask what to do.

Told her to bring him in (after locking cats in another room) and set him on damp paper. Eye dropper with water, CAREFULLY timing drops so that he would not get one when inhaling. She managed just fine and in about 30 minutes, he was refreshed enough to go outside and get up to safety with his parents.

Funny thing happened every spring for a few years after that: Adult male house finch would show up on our patio with HIS youngsters on hot days... chirping, hopping up and down and kicking the patio door until she would come out and set some fresh water in a shallow dish for them.

My daughter is a red head ;)

[Catbird]

7. Probably a house finch

Most of the house finches I see don't have quite that much red either. There's a fair amount of variation. This is the most likely species (of those that look even remotely like this) to show up in your yard.

[Gormy Cuss]

3. Hey Oeditpus...

I live a little bit north of you and I'd guess House Finch too. The color level varies quite a bit.

[Hugin]

4. Hmm... If you were in Ohio I was going to post a mumps warning...

Not sure what kind of bird has a red head, red troat and sings.

Xema will know!

Xema knows everything!

[dolo amber]

6. hedges says it's a Purple Finch

This it?

[Catbird]

9. Raspberry red

The purple finch red is sometimes referred to as raspberry red in contrast to the house finch red.

[In_The_Wind]

11. Does it look this?

Purple Finch

[Hugin]

13. Cripes!

Put a dial-up warning on that thing!

LOL!

Kidding! Kidding!

[In_The_Wind]

15. I like some things big.

But this time it's because it took me 4 minutes to edit from the first mistake. My laptop is so slow I didn't preview first. :blush:



:hi:

[petronius]

16. In central CA, it was almost certainly a house finch

although there are two similar though rarer finches around as well (Cassin's and purple).

[Fawkes]

17. It's a chickenhawk!

Get it before it gets you!

I am series!!!!!11!!!!!

[KitchenWitch]

18. Welcome to DU!

[Fawkes]

19. Thanks!

:hi: