In North America, male House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) most often have parts of the head, breast, and rump colored red (Michener and Michener 1931). However, in Hawaii, where the species was introduced prior to 1870 (Grinnell 1911), males show considerably more color variation, with yellow or orange frequently replacing the red. Largely on the basis of this difference in the males' coloration, Grinnell (1912a, b; later supported by Moore 1939) proposed the Hawaiian population as a separate species, "Carpodacus routaris", a proposal not generally accepted (e.g., AOU 1983).