House finch.



 House finch, Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, May 30, 2023, waiting its turn at the water.

Haemorhous mexicanus.

The red of a male House Finch comes from pigments contained in its food during molt (birds can’t make bright red or yellow colors directly). So the more pigment in the food, the redder the male. This is why people sometimes see orange or yellowish male House Finches. Females prefer to mate with the reddest male they can find, perhaps raising the chances they get a capable mate who can do his part in feeding the nestlings.

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