Purple Finch

Overview

The purple finch, Haemorhous purpureus, is a small bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. This species was formally described in 1789 and is now one of three finches placed in the genus Haemorhous.

Identification

• Adult males are raspberry red on the head, breast, back, and rump, with a streaked back, short forked brown tail, and brown wings.
• Adult females have light brown upperparts and white underparts with dark brown streaks throughout, plus a white line on the face above the eye.
• Overall length ranges from 12 to 16 cm, with a mean weight of 23.3 g.
• Males sing several types of musical vocalizations, including a continuous dense warbling and a rapid string of high and low notes.
• The subspecies H. p. californicus has a longer tail, shorter wings, darker plumage, and a longer bill compared to the nominate subspecies.

Habitat

Breeding habitat includes coniferous and mixed forest in Canada and the northeastern United States, as well as various wooded areas along the U.S. Pacific coast. Birds from northern Canada migrate to the southern United States, while others are permanent residents. The species prefers nesting in lowland coniferous and mixed forests, avoiding heavily populated urban areas but sometimes found in rural areas.

Diet

Purple finches forage in trees and bushes, sometimes in ground vegetation. They mainly eat seeds, berries, and insects, including tree buds, caterpillars, and beetles.

Did you know?

In 1763, the naturalist Richard Brookes described the female purple finch in Mexico using the name 'chiantototl,' meaning chia seed bird.