House Finches in Redbud
Ronald W. Schlorff©
Original is sold; Limited Edition Print (14 x 11) - $125.00 (unframed)
House finches are close relatives of sparrows and are found in many western and eastern habitats
up to the 5000 foot elevation level. The house finch sometimes may be confused with the similarly
marked Cassin's finch and the purple finch both of which may overlap a portion of the house finch's
range. However, reasonably competent birders can easily distinguish the subtle plumage and voice
differences of these three species. The finches, like most sparrows, subsist on a diet of seeds which
they obtain from trees, shrubs, and flowering herbaceous plants.
In this painting I've shown a pair of house finches in western redbud as the scene might appear in
the early spring. A member of the pea family, the redbud tree is common to foothill regions of
northern California. The brilliant pink blossoms of the redbud echo the bright colors of the male
bird's breeding plumage. In nature, bright colors are often exhibited for the same reason for both
animal and plant species - so that the colorful individual gets noticed. In the case of the redbud its
because of the need for the tree to be noticed and attended to by its pollinators; while for the male
house finch it's so that the bird gets noticed by its prospective mates.
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