House Finch Chicks at about 13 days photo by Larry Jordan
As you can see these chicks are fully feathered and nearly ready to fledge. House Finches usually fledge at day 16. In most songbird species, the parents carry the fecal sacs out of the nest and dispose of them but the House Finch doesn’t do this. That is why you see the fecal material accumulated around the rim of the nest.
These chicks are literally overflowing the nest as you can tell by comparing the photo above with this one when they were only a couple of days old.
Enjoy all the nesting songbirds in your yard while you can. Make sure you offer them plenty of food and water so their babies can grow up strong and healthy.
Happy Birding!
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Hi, we had a nest in our hanging fake plant in our backyard. I saw the parent feeding and leave the babies. In and off again. Then I looked today and noticed no activity and looked inside and no more babies. I only saw them for a few days. Do you think they flew off? Just yesterday I looked out my back kitchen window and saw them streaching their necks to eat. I hope they are okay. The black and white fecal matter is still all around nest. I need help understanding. I am a animal lover and am concerned. Will the mom come back and use the same nest again? Any answers would be much appreciated. Thanks, Cathy
@Cathy, House Finches often raise two and sometimes three broods per breeding season. The female does all incubating which lasts 12-14 days, and is fed on and off the nest by the male. The young leave the nest usually at about two weeks of age and are fed by the male while the female renests. She will sometimes use the same nest with a new lining but often build a new nest for each clutch. It sounds like they are fine if you are watching them being fed in your backyard!