DEAR JOAN: A pair of house finches decided to make their nest ... You likely saw the female or a juvenile male that hasn’t yet acquired his more vibrant plumage. The Anna’s is the largest ...

A yellow-headed male Gouldian finch will have a yellow-tipped beak similar to that of female Gouldian finches. Juvenile birds are less colorful than their adult counterparts. Their coats are dull ...

DEAR JOAN: A male house finch that is a regular visitor to my deck for sunflower seeds appears sick. He’s less active, and when he perches, he gapes his beak open and closed, over and over ...

The tail is strongly notched. The similar male house finch has streaked underparts and a squarish tail, and the bird can be orange and sometimes yellow. Both females are brown and heavily streaked ...