Purple Finch and House Finch - Learn to tell them apart!

May 22, 2007 on 1:02 am | In Daily Local Birder |

Greetings, Birders!

Today, I’d like to share some tips with you to help you learn to distinguish between the common House Finch, Carpodacus mexicanus, and the rarer Purple Finch, Carpodacus purpureus. I’m doing this today because, just last week, my husband and I were lucky enough to see our first ever Purple Finch and it was an unforgettable thrill.

No matter where you live in Sonoma County, chances are, House Finches are a familiar sight to you. These 6″, talkative little birds get their name from their habit of hanging around houses. They build their nests in the eaves of buildings or in trees, and their warbling, liquid song is a constant around the bird feeder. Despite their familiarity, however, House Finches can pose a puzzle for beginning birders who catch sight of a bird with an extreme amount of red on its head and chest. Could this be a Purple Finch?, the birder may wonder. In point of fact, I recently saw an experienced birder remarking on how commonly House Finches are misidentified as Purple Finches. It’s true, many of them do have a tremendous amount of red and the color can be so intense, but if you were to see one standing side by side with a real Purple Finch, you’d instantly observe the difference. That’s why I’ve made the above sketch, and I’ve been very careful with this to show just how different the colors of these two birds are.

The red of the House Finch can best be described as crimson. A real firecracker color. The head and a small portion of the chest are the main tinted areas of this bird, and in shape, he is slender and long. The Purple Finch is actually the same length, but his more compact build gives him a chubbier, sturdier appearance. And when it comes to colors, there is a marked difference.

The best description I’ve heard of the Purple Finch is that he looks ‘dipped in strawberry’. From head to tail, he is an irridescent magenta color that simply glows. Purple may be a misleading description for this bird. When I think of purple, I think of the color of a plum or a violet or a purple gumdrop…not really the jewel-tone magenta of this bird. However, I clearly saw touches of lavender on the backside of the Purple Finch we met last week, so I guess the name will just have to do. Whatever his name, he is enchanting, and I instantly knew I was NOT looking at a House Finch when I saw him perched amid the branches of a leafy, green tree.

Compare the wings of the two birds in my sketch. The House Finch has the dusty brown colors, but the brown of the Purple Finch’s wings has been washed in a watercolor-like infusion of strawberry. The bellies are different as well, with pink tones creeping into the streaking on the Purple and plain brown on the House.

Unlike the House Finch, Purple Finches are not really drawn to human dwellings, preferring wooded areas. Purple Finches prefer to nest high up in conifer trees, and both species lay between 3-5 pale blue eggs. The females of both species are brown and white birds, and the facial markings of the female Purple Finch are more pronounced and defined. The song of the Purple Finch is somewhat like the House Finch’s, but less varied in pitch. Both birds are year-round Sonoma County residents.

Further notes on these fine finches
Perhaps, in certain parts of California, there is a more even distribution of these two species, but you are far more likely to see a House Finch than a Purple Finch in the Bay Area. Somehow, the rarity of the Purple makes it a special treat, but I always give thanks for every House Finch I see at my feeder because of the eye disease that is destroying populations in the east. I can’t imagine a world without these familiar finches, and I sincerely hope that ornithologists can develop a plan to stop the spread of the disease.

Also, of interest to note, you may occasionally see a male House Finch with a tangerine or lemon colored head. My husband and I call these ‘citrus birds’. They are always such a surprise. I recently read an interesting study on this phenomenon in the species that discovered that, while ‘citrus birds’ may be especially appealing to us, they apparently make the least desirable mates as far as female House Finches are concerned. Their broods contain fewer eggs, and when they do have young, they feed them less often than do males with vibrant scarlet heads. So, apparently, if you are a female House Finch, the best husband will be the most crimson one. Interesting stuff!

Where to see the Purple Finch in Sonoma County, CA.
We’re in luck. A valued reader has shared the tip that she is seeing Purple Finches in the Willowside Rd. area of Santa Rosa. This seems like good habitat for them, so you might want to head out there for a look around the creek and neighborhood. We saw our Purple Finch in Marin County, in the parking lot of Heart’s Desire Beach, just a few yards away from the bay. This is a must-see birding spot, full of Osprey (nesting right now), hawks, warblers, vireos, and what seems like 500 Swainson’s Thrushes. Well worth the hour’s drive.

It was a pleasure painting these pretty finches and I hope this little lesson has helped you to feel more confident in making a correct birding identification.