***Federal - MBTA***

    House Finches are an interesting species in New York.  They are not native to the state.  Before the middle of the 20th century House Finches were popular cage birds and kept as pets.  A few were released on Long Island in the 1940's or 1950's and they quickly spread across the state and now can they can be found throughout most of the eastern United States.  They make frequent use of feeding stations (see photo) and males are much more brightly colored than females (male-bottom right, the other two are females.)  The closely related Purple Finch is in a serious decline in the east and where it was once the more common of the two species it is now seldom seen.
    House Finches are being affect by a form of viral conjuctivitis.  The disease affects the bird's eye which becomes swollen and crusted shut.  Eventually the bird loses all use of the affected eye.  A highly contagious disease, it is spread at feeding stations and will affect birds other than House Finches (Goldfinches for one), although House Finches seem to be most susceptible.  The best way to counteract the spread of the disease is to keep your feeders clean and sterilize them with a 1:10 solution of bleach to water.  Make sure to rinse the feeder well and let it thoroughly dry before placing it back outside.