House Finch Animal Symbolism
Today’s our new bird at the feeder was a male house finch. You can tell he’s male because of the red markings. The females are primarily gray. Finches, in general, symbolize happiness and energetic times ahead. This is because they come in a variety of bright colors – yellow, red, purple. Finches also represent adaptability, freedom, vulnerability and good fortune.
House finches specifically symbolize harmony in life. They remind us that even if life is particularly difficult at present that we need to hang in there because good times are just around the corner.
House finches were originally found only in the western US and Mexico. A pet store owner brought them to Long Island, NY and set them free, and now they’re all over the United States. In some areas they are considered invasive. They are considered a carriers for disease and can compete with native birds for resources.
Finches were used in Darwin’s experiments and represent adaptability because they adapt to their environments. They were originally in the hot dry desert areas of Arizona, California and Mexico. I first saw them when we were in Phoenix earlier this year and noticed their rather ominous appearance. I thought they looked rather creepy.
The eastern variety has adapted to a wetter, more lush environment and their features seem softer to me. Notice the difference in the photos below:
In 1994 the finch population started having problems with eye infections (conjunctivitis). This causes their eyes to swell up and then they can go blind which makes the vulnerable to predators.
I’ll be telling my husband that we need to clean our feeder since that’s something that is recommended to keep them from spreading “pink eye” to others.
