Purple Finch - Ross Feldner

Often confused with the House Finch, the Purple Finch is a bit chunkier with a shorter tail. It appears to be more of a rosy red than purple which adds to the confusion. The Purple Finch was formally described in 1789 by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus's Systema Naturae.

Its habitat is coniferous and mixed forest in the northeastern United States and Canada, as well as various wooded areas along the U.S. Pacific coast. The Purple Finch population has been displaced from some breeding habitats in the Eastern United States by the House Finch, which is native to the western U.S. and Mexico.

Purple Finches forage in trees and bushes, sometimes in ground vegetation eating mainly seeds, berries, and insects, including aphids, caterpillars, grasshoppers, and beetles. If want to attract them to your feeder they are very fond of sunflower seeds, millet, and thistle.

The Purple Finch sings a delightful sequence of slightly slurred whistles. Apart from their songs, Purple Finches also emit calls consisting of shorter whistle-warbles and a sharper “pik” note to alarm or signify their location in a flying group.