House Finch x Canary Mule?

[Nerien]

Poking around on ebay classifieds, saw an add somewhat locally for "House Finch x Canary Mules".

Does he really mean house finches, the little brown birds who live wild all around here? Isn't it illegal to keep native/wild birds, and therefore wouldn't it be illegal to crossbreed them?

Just thought this was strange, and wondered what the real story here might be.

[mayble]

Interesting question. This came up on here awhile back, and it wasn't until after that discussion I learned that House Finches aren't native to the US.
As a non-native, introduced species, the House Finch may not be protected here. I don't think Starlings are protected, as they are considered an invasive exotic - the same may be true for the House Finch.

[Ursula]

It is illegal, they are covered under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act!

http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/Regul ... ndx.html#h

House finches are native to the Western U.S. and were only introduced in the Eastern U.S. as "non native."

European Starlings are non-native to entire North America, that's why they are not protected.

[Nerien]

Just briefly read up on it, on Wikipedia, which has an extensive article.

Yes, the common house sparrow is an introduced species, but it's been here for 160 years already. At what point do you stop calling it an invasive species and just accept it? Obviously, around where I am, which is near the documented 1852 New York City release of these birds, it's been here, it's found its way into the ecology and stabilized here, when do you stop viewing it as an outsider?

(Just wondering, as I know some people who are positively rabid about "introduced" "invasive" plant species that have been here for well over a hundred years as well, have an established, stable place in the local flora, isn't it time to just accept it, and stop attacking it with such a vengeance that you even go on other people's property to rip it out?)

[Ursula]

I guess the difference is that they are pushing aside the native species and making them endangered.... Can't think of any other reason why they would still be called "non-native" after 160 years.

And if you've ever seen Kudzu infested landscape in the South you'd understand why some invasive plants should be ripped out vigirously....

[Sally]

House finches are native to Western U.S. and Mexico. The Migratory Bird Act of 1918 made it illegal to keep them as caged birds in the U.S. But some greedy vendors trapped them and sold them in the NY area as Hollywood finches. When vendors and owners became frightened of getting in trouble over these illegal birds, they released them into the wild in the Long Island area in 1940. They eventually established a population and spread throughout the area.

Even though they are not native to the Eastern U.S., they are still illegal to keep in the U.S. There would be no way to regulate if a particular caged House finch came from Western U.S., where it is native, or Eastern U.S., where it is introduced. Birds are considered native as long as they are indigenous to any part of the U.S.

[mayble]

So they are considered native to the Western US then? It was my impression that were "recent" immigrants from Central America.
Interesting.

[lou]

The house finch is a protected species but, the common sparrow is not, therefore you can keep them.
lou