House Finches Eating Watermelon
Journal
Condor
Volume
32
Issue
6 (November-December)
Year
1930
Pages
301
Section
From Field and Study
Online Text
House Finches Eating Watermelon
The house finches (Carpoducus mexicanus frontalis) of the San Joaquin Valley are certainly developing a great fondness for watermelon. On July 7 and 8, 1930, I watched them at a feeding station thirty miles north of Bakersfield. During the morning hours, and still more during the afternoon hours, there was a steady stream of these birds to some watermelon rinds for the ripe watermelon pulp still present. Most of these feasting birds were young of the year, but there was also a fair number of both adult males and adult females. At first I thought the birds were attracted because of thirstiness; but soon after that, I noted that pulp that was almost dry was taken as well.
M. P. Skinner
Long Beach, California, July 16, 1960
