House sparrows and house finches can be spotted almost everywhere on this planet, except Antarctica. They lay 4 to 6 eggs per clutch, extremely competitive and adaptive– the reasons why their species have thrived wonderfully well. They look almost alike though, and bird enthusiasts fail to tell them apart despite subtle differences.
House finch vs house sparrow– are they really similar? Turns out, they are not, when you closely observe them. For one thing, these birds belong to different bird families and behave quite differently when it comes to certain aspects. This article summarizes the similarities and differences between these two birds that will make you appreciate their nuances more.
Contents
- House Finch: An Overview
- House Sparrow: An Overview
- House Finch vs House Sparrow: How Are They Similar?
- House Finch vs House Sparrow: How To Tell Them Apart?
House Finch: An Overview
Source: @lyndoncooke_photography
House finches are commonly sighted birds in North America, and can be found almost everywhere in the United States. It is a native breeder of the location, belonging to the family called Fringillidae. Male finches look more colorful than the female ones, with orange-red coloration on the crowns and throats.
The scientific name of house finches is Haemorhous mexicanus. These birds are generally herbivorous, and will munch on anything between grains and seeds, to fruits and even flower buds. Sometimes they will go for aphids too. House finches like to sing and their songs contain 4 to 26 syllables.
House Sparrow: An Overview
Source: @wingsfan91
House sparrows have the scientific name Passer domesticus and belong to the Passeridae family. They are one of the most commonly sighted birds in not only America, but all over the world. Their vocalizations vary between chirps and ‘chur -wee-it’, and are very familiar to the people living in the urban areas. House sparrows like grains and weeds, and even nectar.
They are small, songbirds that have a brown and gray overall appearance, with females looking paler than their male counterparts. They have 12 subspecies that are divided into 2 groups– the Oriental indicus group, and the Palaearctic domesticus group. It has been found that the indicus group has white cheeks, while the domesticus group has gray cheeks.
House Finch vs House Sparrow: How Are They Similar?
From a distance, these two passerines look almost similar, and are quite difficult to distinguish. They are so similar in fact they have been affectionately termed as “Little Brown Jobs” or LBJs. There is a distinct dimorphism in the two birds, but the females of both the birds share lots of physical similarities.
Female house finches and house sparrows have a familiar brown and black intermittent pattern on their flight wings that are difficult to tell apart. Both the birds possess conical bills that are short and pointed. They both flaunt white chests with brown streaks running down all over up to their underparts. Also, both have thin, long legs, black eyes, and eat the same things.
House Finch vs House Sparrow: How To Tell Them Apart?
Since they look so similar, how do you know the difference? House finches and sparrows could be differentiated based on the nuances of their physical characteristics. These two perchers need to be observed closely for their uniqueness to be appreciated.
Some of the key features that could be taken into account while distinguishing between them is the family they belong to, their tail length, their body color, the eggs that they lay, their juveniles, among other factors. How they behave when humans approach them, their flocking patterns, and their vocalizations— a close speculation of these elements will elucidate the matter.
House Finch vs House Sparrow: How Do They Look Different?
House finches and house sparrows look quite similar, but there are several differences between them that must be known to you to identify them. Shedding some light on their physical characteristics will elucidate the concept better.
Size: Length, Weight, Wingspan
Source: @rootbeer_dave
Sparrows are typically 5 to 7 inches long, weighing between 24 and 40 gm. They are compact birds, with well-rounded chests and heads. On the other hand, finches are maximum 6 inches long, with a weight of 16 to 27 gm. Finches appear to be rounded because of fluffy feathers. So clearly, finches are smaller and lighter in weight, when compared to sparrows.
Source: @mountjoysmenagerie
Wingspan of sparrows are 7.5 to 10 inches, while finches have 8 to 10 inches of wingspan. The wingspans are pretty similar, although a house sparrow’s wings appear to be larger and heavier. This is because of the difference in proportions. Sparrows’ wings are larger in proportion to their body size, whereas finches’ wings are smaller compared to their bodies.
Plumage And Pattern
Male sparrows have brown, gray and black patterns all over their body, and the colors are quite distinct and vivid. The intermittent patterns–the overlapping of the black streaks over a brown background– is quite prominent in the males. The males also have black branch-like streaks all over their throat, chest and underparts.
Male finches have mostly brown plumage, with a bluish hue. The feature that stands out between sparrows and finches is that finches have orange-red coloration on their crowns, neck and chest regions which is never the case in sparrows.
In male finches, the outline of most flight feathers is streaked with black or white. The streaked patterns on a finch’s body is, however, less prominent and appear to be overall grayish-blue.
Females of both the bird families have duller colors in their plumage, except during mating and breeding times. This is one of the main reasons why sparrows and finches look alike, because the females are so similar in appearance to each other.
Body Shape
Sparrows appear to be more rounded, and flaunt a longer body. Finches appear to be smaller, but fluffier. Their head shape plays a significant role in distinguishing between these two similar looking birds. The heads of sparrows are more rounded in appearance, whereas finches have flatter heads. Sparrows are more streamlined but finches are more robust and feathery.
Source: @photosbydannygabay
Eye Color
Eyes of sparrows are dark brown and appear to look black from a distance. There is an almond-shaped black patch just around their eyeballs that extends below their throat. Additionally, there is a brown straight streak that runs across the eyes of the passerine. These two features about the eyes of sparrows set them apart from finches.
Adult male finches do have a grayish eye patch, but not as distinct as in the case of sparrows. The red crown and throat of the finches is the feature with the help of which you can tell the finches apart from the sparrows.
Source: @j.kistlerphotography
Bill Length And Color
Beaks of house sparrows are well-adapted to picking up and smashing insects inside their mouth. They are conical, with a skin-toned, orange or black color. The culmen of the beaks could be anywhere between 0.4 to 0.6 inches long.
House finch’s beaks are larger than sparrow’s beak, often termed as larger in proportion to the rest of their body. The beaks are usually white with a gray tip, but the color may change depending upon their breeding season. Its larger beaks help it to crush large and hard seeds.
Leg Length And Color
Finches and sparrows like to perch on tree branches, railings, window frames, and balconies. They may even gather around you on park benches. When they do, try to look at the lengths of their legs. You will see that sparrows have longer legs than finches. Also, sparrow legs are pink or off-white colored. Whereas, finches have black or dark gray legs.
Source: @birdybirdy521
Tail Shape, Length And Usage
House sparrows have tails that are 2 to 2.6 inches long, and the tips of the tails are round. The angle at which sparrows hold their tails when they are perched on a tree branch is straight or slightly raised. Sparrows use their tails to reduce drag and create more stability in their flights.
House finches, on the contrary, have tails as long as house sparrows, but the tips of their tails are notched, like a fish’s tail. The tips could be square-shaped too. Also when house finches are perched on trees, their tails face slightly downwards, not upwards as in the case of sparrows. Their notched tails help in reducing air resistance during flights.
Eggs And Juveniles
House sparrows lay 4 to 5 eggs per clutch, and they may brood 2 clutches per year. Depending on seasons and other environmental factors, the clutch size may change. The eggs are 0.8 to 0.9 inches long, and are mostly off-white with a green or blue hue, accompanied with gray or brown spots. Baby sparrows are completely featherless and, after hatching, their eyes remain closed for a few days.
House finches could brood 2 or more clutches per year, and each clutch may contain 2 to 6 eggs. The eggs have a glossy surface, with brown speckles and bluish-green tones. The hatchlings of finch parents are pink, with a little bit of down feathers here and there. The eggs of finches are slightly smaller than sparrow eggs, with a length of 0.6 to 0.8 inches.
House Sparrow vs House Finch: Do They Behave Differently?
Not only do house sparrows and house finches look different, but they behave differently too.
They do not fly in a similar fashion, nor do they impress their mates in the same way. Let’s dig deeper to find out.
Source: @paigepeterson_a
Diet
House finches and house sparrows have similar dietary preferences. They go for fruits, nuts, seeds, and grains. However, finches like different types of weed seeds like dandelion or nettle seeds a lot, and they also choose aphids sometimes. Sparrows, on the other hand, will eat almost anything for survival. It will scavenge on leftovers and will even have nectar.
Flight Pattern
House sparrows fly in a straight line mostly with usually no undulations.They flap their wings vigorously while flying at a speed of 15 wingbeats/sec. Their average flight speed is 45.5 km/hr. On the other hand, house finches fly with frequent undulations (up and down pattern), and they fly alternating between flapping and gliding. They fly at a speed of 32 km/hr.
Social Behavior
House sparrows are gregarious avians and like to flock in large groups. They even nest together in large communities. They even sing together in the woods, using different vocalizations. House sparrows also share a habit of bathing in water and also in dust.
House finches are social birds too and are often seen in large flocks. They are also quite competitive and aggressive when it comes to feeding and nesting. It is the only bird that is known to fight with house sparrows and drive them away. House finches also like bathing.
Courtship Rituals
Male sparrows would act quite vocal, calling vigorously, close to nesting sites. Sometimes they will start making the nests themselves and sing beside it to attract the attention of a female. When a female does pay attention, it shows off its plumage and crowns. A long pursuit follows after this, resulting in copulation.
Mating rituals of house finches are quite interesting too. Females act as if they are hungry and starving for food, and the males forage for food and place the food in front of his chosen partner. It is usually the red pigmentation that male finches develop on their crowns during the breeding season that attracts the females.
Source: @jennybowlden_photography
Nesting Habits
Crevices and cavities of all sorts are the favorite breeding sites of house sparrows. Trees and cliffs are the habitats they usually choose. They also like to lay eggs in abandoned nests of birds like swallows, storks and magpies. Stems, roots, grass, leaves, including paper, are the building materials of sparrow nests.
Finches adore nesting in hanging plant-pots and crevices in buildings. Females use twigs and other types of debris to build the nests. They may also choose to live in abandoned nests of other birds. Nests are built very quickly– sometimes within two days.
Sleeping Behavior
House sparrows flock together, eat together and even roost together. These adorable looking perchers tick their bills under their feathers and fall asleep amidst a large community of birds snoozing at the same time. House finches cuddle with each other, especially during winters, before calling it a day. Finches sleep for 10 to 12 hours after evening and detest artificial lights.
Migratory Pattern
House sparrows are homesick birds, and do not go very far from their houses when they fly. However, the sparrows that live along the coastlines and mountains, migrate to warmer regions or lower elevations. House finches are permanent residents and do not usually migrate. Nevertheless, some eastern and northern species may migrate south.
Calls
Chirrups or chirps are the common vocalizations of house sparrows. Males trill during mating season, and when in distress, go for a call that resembles “chree” sounds. House finches, on the contrary, like to call more harmoniously, often termed as warbling. They also give off sounds like “tek tek tek”. Their songs have cadence and around 20 different notes.
Fun Facts about House Sparrow and House Finch
Despite house sparrows and house finches being incredibly common, there are many fun-filled facts about their personal lives that you might be interested to know. Let’s delve into them!
House Sparrow
House sparrows can swim, especially when they feel threatened. They can even swim underwater.
Average longevity of such small passerines is a whopping 13 years!
Just 200 years ago, there were no house sparrows in North America, and now there are over 150 million house sparrows flying and hopping about!
House Finch
House finches love water and would slurp down more water than their own bodyweight!
The reddish-orange coloration that we see on the crown and throat of male house finches are due to carotenoids, the same compound that is present in carrots!
House finches are some of the strictest vegetarians around who would prefer fruits and seeds to insects even during winters when food is scarce!
House Finch vs House Sparrow: Summarizing
Finally, we have come to the point where a summary of all the points would help us to reach a conclusion. This summary will give you an at-a-glance or a bird’s eye-view of things.
| Characteristics | House Sparrow | House Finch |
| Similarities | ||
| Overall Body Color | Brown and white, dark marks | Brown and white, dark marks |
| Females | Dull brown | Dull brown |
| Beak | Small and conical | Small and conical |
| Legs | Long and thin | Long and thin |
| Diet | Seeds, grains, fruits | Seeds, grains, fruits |
| Physical Differences | ||
| Size | Longer, sleeker, heavier | Shorter, fluffier, light-weight |
| Plumage | Vivid intermittent pattern of brown, white and black | Patterns are not as vivid; blue hue; red coloration on crowns and necks |
| Body Shape | Rounded head, compact chest, longer body | Flatter head, fluffier and shorter body |
| Eye | Black streak across the eyes | No black streak present |
| Beak | Smaller; orange or black | Larger; white with a black tip |
| Tail | Tip is rounded | Tip is flattened or notched |
| Leg | Longer; pink or gray colored | Shorter; black or off-white |
| Eggs and Young Ones | Larger eggs; juveniles are totally featherless | Smaller eggs; juveniles have down feathers on their body |
| Behavioral Differences | ||
| Diet | They will eat almost anything | Strictly vegetarian |
| Flight Pattern | Flap frequently, no undulations | Flap and glide; undulations present |
| Courtship Rituals | Males would build nests and sing beside them | Males would bring food for the females and feed them |
| Vocalizations | Chirps and ‘chree’ | Warbles |
FAQ
Bird watchers have endless questions about house finches and house sparrows. The more you know about them, the more you will appreciate these two avians.
Q: How do you identify a house sparrow from a house finch?
Ans: If you observe closely, you will find house sparrows have a longer and sleeker body, and the brown and black intermittent patterns on their flight wings are quite prominent. On the other hand, house finches are smaller and fluffier, and the red colors on their crown and neck should be unmistakable.
Q: Between house finch and house sparrow, which one is more intelligent?
Ans: House sparrows are persistent, smart and they have problem-solving ability. House finches have good memory and can solve problems too. Both are quite intelligent.
Q: How many sub-species do house sparrows and house finches have?
Ans: There are 12 subspecies of house sparrow, and 14 subspecies of house finch available.
Thoughts
When you compare house finch vs house sparrow, there are a number of similarities that pop up. From a distance, they look so similar that they have been named “Little Brown Jobs” or LBJs. But are they really similar? From a scientific standpoint, absolutely not. They belong to two different bird families with numerous subspecies, each unique in its own way.
The patterns on a house sparrow’s body is quite prominent– the play of black and brown colors on an off-white body stands out unmistakably. In a house finch, the red coloration on their heads and necks can be spotted from miles away. However, confusion arises with the females of both the birds– they are indistinguishable. Closer observation, however, will help tell them apart.
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