|
House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus) |
Seasonal
status at MBO:
| JAN
|
FEB
|
MAR
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APR
|
MAY
|
JUN
|
JUL
|
AUG
|
SEP
|
OCT
|
NOV
|
DEC
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|
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QUICK TIPS:
| 1) Look
at the head - any red plumage indicates a
male, while lack of red may be a female or a HY/SY
male
2) Examine
the outer primary coverts - they are relatively
narrow, pointed, and with absent or indistinct pale
edging on HY/SY birds, but broad, rounded, and
with distinct pale edging on AHY/ASY birds
3) Check
the rectrices - if some or all are narrow and
tapered they indicate a HY/SY bird, but if they are
all uniformly broad and rounded the bird may be
either AHY/ASY or HY/SY |
Note: as House
Finches may undergo a complete first prebasic moult, individuals
cannot be reliably aged ASY in spring - individuals with
uniformly adult plumage should be recorded as AHY, while those
retaining juvenal plumage may be identified as SY |
Ageing and sexing overview:
|
January - July: |
AHY - M
Red plumage on the head and upper breast; broad and
rounded rectrices and outer primary coverts |
|
|
|
AHY - F
Lack of any red plumage; broad and rounded rectrices and
outer primary coverts |
|
|
|
SY - M
Little to considerable red plumage; at least some
rectrices and/or primary coverts narrow and pointed |
|
|
|
SY - F
Lack of any red plumage; at least some rectrices and/or
primary coverts narrow and pointed |
|
|
|
|
RETURN TO AGE/SEX
OVERVIEW
|
after-hatch-year/unknown
male |
After-hatch-year
males have the most extensive red plumage, but some hatch-year males
with an extensive first prebasic moult can show a similar amount of red,
so it is always necessary to check the wings and tail too for age.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
November 2006
All wing feathers are of uniform colour and wear;
the outer primary coverts are broad and rounded and have distinct pale
edging.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
November 2006
The outer rectrices are
broad and quite rounded at the tip; the rump is usually prominently
marked with red.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
November 2006
RETURN TO AGE/SEX
OVERVIEW
House Finches lacking red may either be
females of any age or hatch-year males; wing and tail criteria need to
be examined to classify them further.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
November 2006
The primary coverts and greater coverts are uniform in colour and wear;
the primary coverts are broad and rounded with pale edging.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
November 2006
The photo below shows the
typical broad and rounded shape of adult rectrices.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
November 2006
RETURN TO AGE/SEX
OVERVIEW
Hatch-year
males may vary from showing no red plumage (second photo below) to
having extensive red plumage (first photo) comparable to that of
after-hatch-year males, depending on the extent of their first prebasic
moult.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer, November 2006
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer, November 2006
Wing moult patterns are particularly important for
birds lacking red plumage. The first photo below shows well the
narrow and pointed shape of the outer primary coverts, and the colour
contrast between the primary coverts and the darker greater coverts. The
pattern is similar but less pronounced in the second photo; in cases
where it is not distinct, the tail should be checked to confirm age.
Note also in the first photo that the outer three primaries have been
replaced and contrast with the paler unreplaced inner primaries; any
such moult limits among the primaries or secondaries are indicative of a
hatch-year bird.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer, November 2006
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
November 2006
The tail can be useful if
it includes unreplaced juvenal rectrices. This is best illustrated
in the second photo below, where the central (r1) and outer (r6)
rectrices have been replaced and contrast with the paler and more worn
retained juvenal rectrices.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
November 2006
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
November 2006
RETURN TO AGE/SEX
OVERVIEW
House Finches lacking red may either be
females of any age or hatch-year males; wing and tail criteria need to
be examined to classify them further.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
November 2006
Any moult limits on the wing are indicative of a
hatch-year bird; usually in House Finches all greater coverts are
replaced during the first prebasic moult, but in this case the outer
three are clearly unreplaced and contrast notably with the fresher inner
coverts.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer, November 2006
The tail can be useful
for identifying hatch-year House Finches if at least some juvenal
rectrices have been retained, as in the photo below where a couple of
inner rectrices are clearly paler and more worn than the fresher broad
and round outer rectrices.
Photo by Marcel Gahbauer,
November 2006
RETURN TO AGE/SEX
OVERVIEW
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