Purple finch Temporal range: Late Pleistocene–present PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
Male
Female
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Fringillidae
Subfamily:	Carduelinae
Genus:	Haemorhous
Species:	H. purpureus
Binomial name
Haemorhous purpureus (Gmelin, 1789)
Range of C. purpureus   Breeding range   Year-round range   Wintering range
Synonyms
Burrica purpurea Carpodacus purpureus

The purple finch (Haemorhous purpureus) is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae.

Taxonomy

This species and the other "American rosefinches" were formerly included with the rosefinches of Eurasia in the genus Carpodacus; however, the three North American species are not closely related to the rosefinches of the Old World, and have thus been moved to the genus Haemorhous by most taxonomic authorities.

It is included in the finch family, Fringillidae, which is made up of passerine birds found in the northern hemisphere, Africa, and South America. The purple finch was originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1789.^[2]

There are two subspecies of the purple finch, H. p. purpureus and H. p. californicus. H. p. californicus was identified by Spencer F. Baird in 1858.^[2] It differs from the nominate subspecies in that it has a longer tail and shorter wings. The plumage of both males and females is darker, and the coloration of the females is more greenish.^[3] The bill of H. p. californicus is also longer than that of the nominate subspecies.^[4]

Description

Adults have a short forked brown tail and brown wings. Adult males are raspberry red on the head, breast, back and rump; their back is streaked. Adult females have light brown upperparts and white underparts with dark brown streaks throughout; they have a white line on the face above the eye.

Measurements:^[5]

• Length: 4.7–6.3 in (12–16 cm)
• Weight: 0.6–1.1 oz (18–32 g)
• Wingspan: 8.7–10.2 in (22–26 cm)

Habitat and distribution

Their breeding habitat is coniferous and mixed forest in Canada and the northeastern United States, as well as various wooded areas along the U.S. Pacific coast. They nest on a horizontal branch or in a fork of a tree.^{[citation needed]}

Birds from northern Canada migrate to the southern United States; other birds are permanent residents.^{[citation needed]}

The purple finch population has declined sharply in the East due to the house finch. Most of the time, when these two species collide, the house finch outcompetes the purple finch. This bird has also been displaced from some habitat by the introduced house sparrow.^[6]

Behavior

Male purple finch

Diet

These birds forage in trees and bushes, sometimes in ground vegetation. They mainly eat seeds, berries, and insects. They are fond of sunflower seeds, millet, and thistle.

Nesting

The Purple Finch prefers nesting in lowland coniferous and mixed forests, avoiding more heavily populated urban areas, but sometimes found in rural residential areas. The female Purple Finch usually builds her nest on horizontal branches of coniferous trees, away from the trunk, but occasionally in tree forks. The nest is shaped like an open cup, made up of rootlets, twigs, and weeds, and lined with grass, hair, and moss.

Cultural depictions

This is the state bird of New Hampshire. In 1763, Richard Brookes made the description of the female purple finch in Mexico with the name of "chiantototl" (chia seed bird).^[7]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Haemorhous purpureus.

Wikispecies has information related to Haemorhous purpureus.

• Interesting Purple Finch Facts at BirdHouses101.com
• "Purple Finch media". Internet Bird Collection.
• Purple Finch photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
• Purple Finch Species Account – Cornell Lab of Ornithology