Better red than dead

Strongly colored male House Finch

Back in the dark days of the Cold War, there was a commonly heard exhortation: "Better dead than Red." A new study flips that saying on its head, at least as male House Finches are concerned. For them, it's better to be red than dead.

Several studies have linked bright colors as a sign that an individual bird has superior foraging abilities, the ability to recover from diseases faster and, in general, a body that is in better overall health. It also better able to attract a mate.

Researchers in Sweden put those findings to the test with House Finches. They placed a number of male House Finches in an large avian compound encased by a net. Then they tested the ability of the House Finches to escape when a human came too close.

The researchers found that males with redder feathers escaped faster than the duller colored finches. ""The superior flight performance of redder birds would be an important asset in escape from predators, as well as when foraging or maintaining a territory," they said. 

They also surmised that redder finches would be better able to survive the winter.

The study was reported in the July 2014 issue of The Auk, which is published by the American Ornithologists' Union.

So there you have it: If you see a very red male House Finch on your feeder, chances are that he will be back many times to visit. 

Oh, and keep in mind one of the distinctions between House Finches and Purple Finches. A Purple Finch has a pinkish red (not purple) color on its head and breast, mixing with brown on its back. The House Finch tends to have a more intense, rosier color, though it's limited to its head and upper breast. 

Maybe that's why the House Finch has largely replaced the Purple Finch on the East Coast of the United States. The Purple Finch is native to this area; the House Finch was introduced from the Southwest as house pets in the 1940s. The House Finches were let loose and have been gaining territory ever since.