When I was a kid we actually had more purple finches than house finches on the Cape or at least where I was on the mid-Cape. These days the house finches are far more plentiful and have adapted well to suburban life. Like the house sparrow and the starling, the house finch is a transplant, not a native. Unlike the former two birds house finches are generally well liked by back yard bird feeders, most likely due to their lively song and generally pleasant dispositions and personalities.