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Purple
Finch
Photos by Bruce Dayton
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ORDER:
Passeriformes
FAMILY: Fringillidae (Finches - 17 Species)
SPECIES:
Purple
Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)
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Purple Finch |
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The male Purple Finch's song and bright red plumage are notable characteristics. The name "Purple" is a misnomer, for the male is rose-colored. The Purple Finch has been displaced from some habitat by House Sparrows and the introduction of House Finches in the east. |
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SIZE |
The Purple Finch is a medium sized (5-6") colorful member of the finch family. |
| DESCRIPTION | They
have a short conical bill, pale eye ring and a broad stripe behind the
eye. Adults
have a short notched brown tail and wings.
The male Purple Finch has a rose red on the head, breast, back and rump. Their belly is pale with red to white shading on belly. The females Purple Finch has light brown upperparts and white underparts with dark brown streaks throughout; they have a white line on the face above the eye. |
| NESTING | Clutch size ranges from
3
to 5 eggs, which are incubated
for
12 to 13 days.
The nest is a compact, open cup, composed of twigs, weeds, and grass stems and lined with hair, fine rootlets and moss. The nest is usually built in the fork of a branch away from the trunk, near the top of a small or medium-sized conifer tree. Rarely does it ever build a nest in deciduous trees. |
| RANGE | The
Purple Finch breeds from the Yukon across southern and central Canada
and in the United States. In the states they can be found in New
England, the Great Lakes region, and along the coast of the Pacific
Ocean down into California.
The Purple Finch winters throughout the eastern and Midwestern United States as well as along the Pacific Coast to California. |
| HABITAT | Their preferred habitat is moist coniferous, especially spruce, and mixed-forest woodlands. |
| DIET | The Purple Finch forage in trees, bushes and flowers for seeds, buds, nectar and berries. During the summer, they will also eat insects, but feed their young mostly regurgitated seeds. They may be found at bird feeders eating sunflower seeds and thistle. |
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| Owego
Township Tioga County, New York |
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| PurF_368A_051456 | PurF_368A_051459 |
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Maryland Yellow-throat Drawing by Louis Agassiz Fuertes |
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| INTERESTING FACTS |
| Nectar |
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A sweet liquid made by flowers. It attracts insects, such as bees and butterflies, as well as birds such as hummingbirds, Orioles and Finches. Bees also use it to make honey. |
| The Purple Finch is the state bird of New Hampshire. |
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Please email with any ideas or comments concerning this web page. |
| The images on this web page are copyrighted © 2003 - 2007 by Bruce Dayton. I want to share my photos to promote conservation and to help people identify and learn about the birds and other creatures that live with us on the North American continent. Please do not use any of my work in any non-profit or for-profit project without first getting written permission from me. You can ask for permission by emailing me at webmaster@wildlifeofnorthamerica.info. All reproductions must bear an appropriate credit. |
NOTE: This site will be updated as time and pictures become available.
Visit Mammals
of North America
Purple Finch
(Carpodacus purpureus)
Updated 10-23-2008
