Purple Finch

Purple Finch, male

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Purple Finch, female

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

Formerly the common red finch at eastern bird feeders, the Purple Finch has been displaced in many areas by the introduced House Finch. The raspberry- or rose-colored Purple Finch lives primarily in coniferous woods and visits most of the eastern United States only in the winter.

Cool Facts

• The Purple Finch feeds on flowers by crushing the base to get the nectar and leaving the upper flower undamaged. In a similar action, it often feeds on the seeds of fruits rather than the pulp.

• The decline of the Purple Finch in the East may be partly explained by competition with the introduced House Finch. In aggressive interactions, the House Finch nearly always wins. A population decline was noted with the introduction of the House Sparrow too, nearly 100 years earlier.

• Two subspecies of the Purple Finch are recognized, a Pacific Coast form and the more widespread form. The Pacific form differs by having a different wing shape and duller colors. The songs differ too, with Eastern birds singing a more leisurely series of warbles spanning a wider range of notes.

Description

• Size: 12-15 cm (5-6 in)
• Wingspan: 22-26 cm (9-10 in)
• Weight: 18-31 g (0.64-1.09 ounces)

• Medium-sized finch.
• Male raspberry-red on head and chest; female brown and striped.
• Bill relatively thick and pointed.

Tail notched.

Sex Differences

Male red, female brown-and-white striped.

Male

Raspberry-red spread uniformly over head, neck, upperparts, and sides. Lower belly and undertail coverts unmarked white. Darker face patch and malar stripe usually visible.

Female

Back, chest, and sides streaked dark brown and gray. Strong pale eyestripe. Dark ear patch and malar stripe. Belly white with some streaks.

Immature

Immature identical to female.

Similar Species

• House Finch slimmer with longer, unnotched tail, and less pointed beak. House Finch male with bright red on forehead and chest only, back brown, and distinctly streaked flanks. Female House Finch dull gray brown face without pale eyestripe or malar stripe.
• Cassin's Finch male is brightest red on crown, with little red on back of neck, and bill is more pointed. Female Cassin's Finch with less pronounced facial pattern and streaked undertail coverts. For more discussion on distinguishing these three species, go here.

  Sound

  Song a series of warbles, sometimes including imitations of songs of other birds. Call note a short low "tek."

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  Range

  Range Map
  
  
  

  © 2003 Cornell Lab of Ornithology

  About the map

  Summer Range

  Breeds from southwestern Yukon eastward across Canada, southward into the northeastern United States, and in the mountains to Virginia, and southward along the Pacific Coast to southern California.

  Winter Range

  Winters along the Pacific Coast and from southeastern Canada southward to Gulf Coast, from central Texas to northern Florida. For a look at winter movements, go here.

  Habitat

  • Breeds primarily in cool coniferous forests.
  • Also in suburban areas, orchards, and deciduous forests.
  • Winters in areas where food is available.

  Food

  Seeds, buds, blossoms, nectar, fruit of trees, and occasionally insects. For a look at food preferences as determined by BirdSource project participants, go here.

  Behavior

  Foraging

  Feeds on outer portion of tree branches, occasionally on ground.

  Reproduction

  Nest Type

  Nest an open cup of twigs, sticks, and roots, lined with fine grasses, fibers, and hair. Placed out on branch of conifer tree, usually with an overhanging branch.

  Egg Description

  Pale greenish blue with dark spots concentrated at large end.

  Clutch Size

  Usually 4 eggs. Range: 2-7.

  Condition at Hatching

  Helpless with little down

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  Conservation Status

  Declining in many parts of range. In the East, competition with the introduced House Finch may be responsible for the decline.

  Other Names

  Roselin pourpré (French)
  Gorrión purpúreo (Spanish)
  

  Sources used to construct this page:

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  Wootton, J. T. 1996. Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus). In The Birds of North America, No. 208 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia, PA, and The American Ornithologists' Union, Washington, D.C.

   
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