Purple Finch

Purple Finch male bottom right, Purple Finch female, bottom left

Purple Finch male

Purple Finches have recently showed up at our feeders, as they seem to this time of year. We do not see them in winter, but they are here in spring, summer and fall. We keep a daily journal record of the birds we see on our property, and it is so interesting to see the same phenomena happening at the same time each year. Keeping the journal makes us tune in to the seasonal rhythms of nature.
Purple Finches are lovely birds, the male with his raspberry red wash. The more subtle female has a white eyebrow, a nice clue to tell her apart from the similar looking female House Finch. One trick to tell the male Purple Finch from the male House Finch is to look at their flanks. The male Purple Finch has very little streaking there, the male House Finch is noticeably more streaked. You can learn a lot about birds, just by watching your feeders.

Photos © Lillian Stokes, 2007