Name: Purple Finch

Description: The Purple Finch is a plump, sparrow-sized bird with a deeply-notched tail and short, conical beak. With its red color, the Purple Finch is a migratory bird that's a colorful addition to any garden. Its breeding range extends across North America and from the southern Yukon across Canada, southward into the northeastern United States, and in the mountains to Virginia, and southward along the Pacific Coast to southern California. It winters along the Pacific Coast and from southeastern Canada southward to the Gulf Coast, from central Texas to northern Florida.

Other Names: None

Color: Although named “purple,” this bird is a raspberry red, deepest in color on the breast, crown and rump. Abdomen and under tail coverts are white, and wings and tail dark grayish-brown. Most feathers are edged with purplish-red with two reddish wing bars. Female Purple Finches are brown-and-white striped. Her face is mostly dusky, but wide white lines run over and under the eye and ear. The male acquires his red plumage toward the end of his second year. When excited he raises the feathers on his crown so it resembles a tuft.

Sound: Purple Finches sing a melodious warble that sometimes includes imitations of songs of other birds. Their call note is a short, low “tek.”

Preferred Environment: The Purple Finch breeds primarily in cool coniferous forests and in suburban areas, orchards and deciduous forests.

Nesting Habits: Purple Finches prefer nesting in evergreens but will occasionally choose a deciduous tree or hedge at heights of up to 60 feet (18 m), concealed by foliage. Both the male and female Purple Finch construct a small, neat cup of a nest, made from twigs, grasses and rootlets lined with horsehair.

Food Preference: Purple Finches feed on sunflower, safflower, niger (thistle), corn and suet.