House Finch

We were first introduced to this species on June 11th 2013.  They were at the bird feeder in Susanne's front yard.  There were 3 house finches there.  The males (like this one) have the distinct red head and breast.  The females are duller and lack any red color.  I remember standing at the front door with Susanne's cat Max while taking this pictures.

Originally only a resident of Mexico and the southwestern United States, they were introduced to eastern North America in the 1940s. The birds were sold illegally in New York City as "Hollywood Finches", a marketing artifice. To avoid prosecution under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, vendors and owners released the birds and thus they spread and multiplied all across North America and now are quite common. House Finches feed their nestlings exclusively plant foods, a fairly rare occurrence in the bird world. Many birds that are vegetarians as adults still find animal foods to keep their fast-growing young supplied with protein.