The young males of the Cassin’s Finch, Purple Finch and Common Redpoll look nearly identical to females until they are over one year old and go through their second molt.
Finch’s diets are the most vegetarian of any North American bird. Unlike most other seed-eating birds, finches do not switch to an insect diet during the summer nesting season. They continue to eat mostly seeds, although they will prey on some insects when they are abundant.
Unlike the Purple Finch, male House and Cassin’s Finches do not defend a nesting territory; instead they only defend a territory in close proximity to their mate. They will chase and fight another male only when it gets too close to their mated female.
The Cassin’s Finch commonly mimics the vocalizations of other birds while singing its own song.
The Cassin’s Finch is named for John Cassin, a 19th century ornithologist with the Philadelphia Academy of Natural Science. It was first collected during the 1850’s survey for the Pacific Railroad.
The young males of the Cassin’s Finch, Purple Finch and Common Redpoll look nearly identical to females until they are over one year old and go through their second molt.