The Pecking Order

I rarely ever see a finch on the ground; they’re usually glued to the feeders. So it was quite a pleasant surprise to see these two little cuties land right below my kitchen window.


The bright yellow ball of feathers to the left is a male goldfinch, and while I’m not entirely sure what the one to the right is, I believe it’s a male house finch. Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong.

Anyway, I was eagerly snapping away photos, trying to take as many as possible before these fellas took off, when all of a sudden, for no obvious reason, ‘Mr. House Finch’ pecked ‘Mr. Goldfinch’ on the head. Peck. Peck. Peck. Just like that.

What the...?

Because I have a soft spot for goldfinches, I tapped on the kitchen window and said “Hey! Cut that out, you big bully!” Like that would somehow make a difference.

Well, ‘Mr. House Finch’, a little startled by the noise, stepped away from ‘Mr. Goldfinch’, looked up at me and said ‘Look lady, there’s a pecking order in our world too, so chill out…”

Hmpf...

What? Don’t the birds speak to you?