BirdBrain Academy

Finches · Fringillidae

House Finch sounds

Haemorhous mexicanus

A North American finch, the House Finch is now widespread year-round across much of the United States and Mexico.

Learn bird sounds freeMore House Finch recordings
House Finch
Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Listen to the House Finch

Each recording below is a short excerpt with its spectrogram, a picture of the sound. Time runs left to right and higher pitches sit higher up. Play each one, then look for the same shape in the next. Different recordings of the same bird help you learn the bird, not one clip.

Song · recording 1 Spectrogram of a House Finch song: time runs left to right and pitch rises upward

Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma, Dordt College Prairie, Sioux, Iowa, 2012-04-06. XC99546 on xeno-canto, CC BY-SA 3.0. Five-second excerpt.

Song · recording 2 Spectrogram of a House Finch song: time runs left to right and pitch rises upward

Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma, Dordt College Prairie, Sioux, Iowa, 2012-04-06. XC99546 on xeno-canto, CC BY-SA 3.0. Five-second excerpt.

Song · recording 3 Spectrogram of a House Finch song: time runs left to right and pitch rises upward

Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma, Dordt College Prairie, Sioux, Iowa, 2012-04-06. XC99546 on xeno-canto, CC BY-SA 3.0. Five-second excerpt.

What to listen for

Songs are high-pitched musical jumbles that end with a distinct high note. In flight, calls are soft, while perched birds give a more drawn-out version.

Many listeners write its call as “wheer”. Treat a written sound as a memory aid; individual birds and regions vary.

What it looks like

The House Finch is a moderate-sized finch with a long, square-tipped brown tail, brown back, streaked underparts, and reddish head, neck, and shoulders in most adult males. Females have brown upperparts and streaked underparts.

Where to find it

House Finches are mainly permanent residents, though some migrate south, with adult females moving longer distances than males. They breed in urban and suburban areas across North America and in semi-open western habitats from southern Canada to Oaxaca.

BirdBrain regions that include this bird

  • California
  • Caribbean
  • Eastern Canada
  • Florida
  • Great Lakes
  • Mexico
  • Mid-Atlantic
  • New England
  • Northwest
  • Plains
  • Polynesia
  • Rocky Mountains
  • Southeast
  • Southern Europe
  • Southwest
  • Texas
  • Western Canada

Did you know?

  • There are estimated to be 40 million House Finches across North America.
  • Birds sold illegally in New York City as "Hollywood finches" helped found eastern populations.
  • They are found on all major Hawaiian islands except Niihau and Kahoolawe.

Learn the House Finch by ear

BirdBrain Academy teaches bird sounds with side-by-side listening and quizzes that use different recordings, so you learn the bird rather than one clip. Start with six free lessons, no signup needed. On your phone, Sound ID can name the birds singing around you.

Start studying freeGet the iPhone or Android app

Related birds

Species notes are adapted from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and checked for BirdBrain. Recordings come from xeno-canto under the licenses shown with each one. Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Identification guidance is educational; birds vary, so confirm unusual sightings with local experts or eBird.