6.0 inches long. The Purple Finch has a large conical bill and a deeply forked tail. The male has a raspberry-red head, breast, back, and rump. The wings and tail are brown. The back is streaked. The undertail is white and lacks distinct streaking. The immature male resembles a female. The female is sparrow-like in coloration with a brown crown and cheek patch contrasting with a bold pale eyebrow and malar and a dark whisker. The upper parts are brown and the underparts are heavily streaked. The male Purple Finch is similar to the House Finch but is chunkier and lacks brown streaks on the breast and belly, has a more raspberry-red head and a shorter forked tail. The female House Finch lacks the distinctive face pattern of the female Purple Finch.
The Purple Finch is an uncommon winter visitor that shows up some years and is absent in others. When it does arrive it is around early November and it may stay until late April. One good place to find them is at the Forest feeders.
The Purple Finch is primarily an inhabitant of moist coniferous forests during the breeding season. During the winter, it ranges throughout much of the eastern United States. It feeds almost exclusively on buds and seeds and is frequently observed at bird feeders. The Purple Finch is noted for sporadic irruptions across portions of its winter range, thought to be associated with year to year variation in the production of northern conifer cones. In winter it joins mixed flocks. The song is a rich, mellow, warble that rises at the end with a descending trill “cheeerrr”.
Disclaimer: The content of NatureSearch is provided by dedicated volunteer Naturalists of Fontenelle Forest who strive to provide the most accurate information available. Contributors of the images retain their copyrights. The point of contact for this page is: Phil Swanson.