The Purple Finch

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Ranked #844 in Animals, #21,111 overall

A Pretty Little Songbird

The Purple Finch is a pretty little song bird, but distinguishing the Purple Finch from its cousins, the House Finch and the Cassin's Finch, can be tricky. All three are about the same size and shape, and all three are frequent visitors to the birdfeeder. To make matters worse, their territories overlap. Color is the key. The Purple Finch has more color than the other two, and the House Finch's coloring is more red than purple.

Description 

The Purple Finch is a medium size finch measuring 5 to 6 inches in length. The Adult males are a rosy-red on the head, breast, back and rump. The lower breast is a paler red fading to white on the belly. Their backs are streaked. They have a short forked brown tail and their wings are usually brown. Juviniles do not aquire their adult plumage until they're two years old.

The female Purple Finch are a light olive-brown, streaked with a dark brown. Their chest is streaked with dark olive-brown fading to white on the belly.

The Purple Finch can be aggressive when defending its territory but rarely wins out against the House Finch.

Purple Finch 

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Aug. 22.2009

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Purple Finch by Paul L. Nettles

Purple Finch

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Range and Habitat 

The Purple Finch's breeding habitat is the coniferous and mixed forests of Canada and the Northeastern United States. The birds that breed in the northern part of their range migrate south in the winter, but the birds residing in the southern area of their range are year round residents.

They prefer the enterior of the coniferous forests but also inhabit orchards, pastures, and backyards scattered with conifers, shrubs, and hedgerows.

 

Purple Finch, from

Nesting Habits 

The Purple Finch return to their breeding habitat in late March to early April. They build their nest on a horizontal branch or in the fork of a tree. The nest is composed of twigs and grass stems. It has a rough exterior but it lined with grasses, lichen, and whatever other soft material is available. As long as the nest remains intact, the Purple Finch will use it for several generations.

Eggs are rarely laid before May and the clutch consists of 4 to 6 blue sparsly spotted eggs. After the clutch is raised, the Purple Finch can be seen in huge flocks visiting orchards, parks, and other wooded areas.

Purple Finch 

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Purple Finch

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Purple Finch couple

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Eating Habits 

The Purple Finch will forage in trees and bushes looking for seeds, berries and insects. They are frequent visitors to bird feeders prefering sunflower seeds, millet, and thistle.

When feeding on fruits, the Purple Finch will ignore the pulp and go for the seeds.

Voice 

The Purple Finch will sing a series of warbles, including imitations of songs of other birds. Its call note is a short tek, tek, tek.

Common Birds and Their Songs 

by Lang Elliott



Common Birds and Their Songs (Book and Audio CD)

This book-audio package provides a unique introduction to fifty of the most familiar birds of North America and the songs they sing. Common Birds and Their Songs will be valuable to anyone interested in birds, from beginner to expert. It's the perfect gift for any birder - or anyone with a bird feeder.

Conservation Status 

The numbers of Purple Finch are declining in some areas as they compete with an increasing number of House Sparrows and House Finches for suitable breeding habitat and foraging ground.

Attracting Birds to Your Backyard 

Peterson's Field Guide to Birds 

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America (Peterson Field Guide Series)

Amazon Price: $16.38 (as of 12/18/2009)Buy Now

An absolute must have for anyone with a birdfeeder and an interest in watching the birds.

America's 100 Most Wanted Birds 

America's 100 Most Wanted Birds

Amazon Price: $18.96 (as of 12/18/2009)Buy Now

If you want to see a gyrfalcon or a fork-tailed flycatcher, this resource might be your best help in spotting them. Mostly for serious birders intent on adding species to their life lists, America's 100 Most Wanted Birds provides detailed strategies for locating 100 of the most uncommon-to-rare bird species in the United States.

What interesting birds have you seen? 

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About the Author 

Lensmaster ElizabethJeanAllen has been a member since March 16 2008, has rated 4,009 lenses, favorited 445, and has created 200 lenses from scratch. Lizzy Jean donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "2009 Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments". See all my lenses

Why Birds Do That  

Why Birds Do That: 40 Distinctive Bird Behaviors Explained & Photographed

Amazon Price: $10.85 (as of 12/18/2009)Buy Now

Birds are fascinating. Their behavior is complex, often comical. Some sing while others do not. Why Birds Do That explains forty distinctive bird behaviors and is enhanced with numerous photographs. It is a must have book for both the backyard bird watcher as well as the avid birder.

Resources used to build this page. 

Dunn, J.L. & Alderfer, J., Editors. 2006. National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, Fifth Edition. National Geographic Society.

Peterson, T.P. & Peterson, V.M. 2002. Birds of Eastern and Central North America, Fifth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, N.Y.

Cornell University Laboratory of Ornithology
Seattle Audubon Society

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