Most nest boxes you can buy are made with smaller entry holes for chickadees, wrens, and bluebirds. They entry hole should be 4-1/2 up from the floor. The floor to ceiling height can also be 6 inches. The floor should be about 6ењ† inches or 5x5 inches at the smallest. At this size they may be out-competed by House Sparrows or Starlings, though. They need a larger entry hole size of 2 inches. Nests may be used more than once in a season or even in multiple seasons. The nests are usually 5-9 feet above the ground, but can be much higher or sometimes even on the ground. The video below shows a nest on a wreath on the wall near the front door of a home. The photo above shows a nest on a light fixture in a picnic shelter of a park. They frequently nest in hanging flower baskets. They may even build their nest inside the old nests of other birds. Nests may be placed in natural or artificial cavities, ledges, tree branches, bushes, cacti, corners of buildings, nest boxes, in conifers, palms, and ivy. Nests are made of grasses, rootlets, plant stems, leaves, hair, cotton. The female builds a shallow cup-like nest. Though males are slightly larger, the females may be dominant over the males. House Finches are not strongly territorial. A brighter color could indicate a more physically fit bird, better able to find the best food, and thus giving a better chance at nesting success. The red color of the male is created by carotenoids in the diet. It's a good sign for the male if the female begs and flutters her wings as a hungry baby bird would do!ДЇemales seem to choose males that are brighter colored. Females also sing in spring.Дuring courtship males may offer the female food. Males also perform a 'butterfly flight.' They fly up high and glide down slowly with fluttering flight, singing continuously. Males sing from an exposed perch, perhaps in the top of a small tree. Pair formation begins in spring, even within the larger winter flock. While laying 6 broods are possible, usually a pair of birds only has time to raise 3 broods successfully. As soon as the first nest has successfully raised young to fledging, the female starts a new nest. This is because they lay more than one brood of eggs. The nesting period of House Finches is quite protracted, March to August. House Finches are monogamous, one male to one female.

Nesting habits and reproduction of House Finches At the end of the article I'll leave another link back to the overview page for you. This page discusses courtship and nesting, eggs, nestlings, and fledglings. The overview page leads to other in-depth pages on diet and foods to feed them at your feeder, their range and habitat preferences, and their identification. This page is a supplement to my overview page on attracting House Finches. They will also build their nests in low dense conifers or bushes, and other surprising places. House Finches, as their name implies, often build their nests on ledges and in crannies on outbuildings and porches. You may wonder if you can provide a bird box for them to nest in. So birds should stay all year to nest in your yard.

House Finches are primarily resident throughout their range. The males, with their red heads and brilliant songs are familiar to most backyard bird feeding enthusiasts. House Finches are common birds at our bird feeders throughout the United States.

Finch nest