House Finch (linnet) Control in California

The house finch or linnet, Carpodacus mexicanus frontalis (Say) is a protected migratory nongame bird indigenous to California and found abundantly in a l l but the northern and mountainous areas. These finches attack more than twenty different crops and damage is demonstrated by fruit pecks, seed removal, and disbudding. When house finches cause agricultural damage control measures must be carried out under the general supervision of a county agricultural commissioner. Control practices involve the use of toxic baits, trapdecoy stations, and bio-acoustical devices. Most importantly, these control methods have been demonstrated to be safe, selective, and successful when employed by persons properly trained in the ecology of the species.