Recognition

These birds are about 5 inches in length. The male is a bit like a female house  sparrow but less bulky. The front of the male is reddish pink as is the rump; these are often only faint.  The belly is streaked two tones of brown.

Females are brown birds with a pale chest that is streaked.The females are similar to those of the Purple finch but they do not have the distinctive eye stripe.

Where seen

Seen at seed feeders and often in small groups.

Jimmy’s notes

Often visit bird feeders in small groups and in particular during cold spells.
In flight they fly like a typical finch and appear to bounce up and down.
Like starlings and house sparrows, this bird is an introduced species from Mexico and was introduced to New York in the 1940s.