Purple Finch
Haemorhous purpureus

Often mistaken for a house finch, the purple finch mostly winters in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and breeds up north.

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Reddish-colored purple finch perched on a wire mesh container of birdseed with a blurry green background
Purple finches eat seeds, buds, berries and insects. (Photo courtesy of Stella Tea/iNaturalist CC BY NC) (Photo courtesy of Stella Tea/iNaturalist CC BY-NC, cropped and toned)

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Appearance

Adult males have a raspberry red head, breast and back, while females are brown, tan and white. Both males and females have stocky bills and a deep notch at the tip of their tails.

Feeding

Purple finches forage in trees and on the ground. They commonly visit bird feeders.

Predators

Adult finches are commonly preyed upon by barn owls, merlins, American kestrels, blue jays and house pets, such as cats and dogs. Their nests are also raided by squirrels, grackles and jays.

Flight

Purple finches fly in an undulating, up and down pattern.

Voice

Purple finches sing rich warbling songs.

Reproduction and life cycle

Purple finches raise one brood per year. Females typically lay four to five eggs, and incubate them in a nest for about 13 days. Both parents feed the nestlings. Young finches leave the nest about two weeks after hatching. Purple finches typically live three to five years.

Did you know?

  • Purple finches are often outcompeted for food and habitat by house finches, which are native to Western North America and were brought to New York in the 1950s.

  • Purple finches sometimes add the sounds of other birds into their songs, including those from barn swallows, American goldfinches, eastern towhees and brown-headed cowbirds.

  • The oldest recorded purple finch was at least 12 years and 8 months old when it was recaptured and rereleased in North Carolina in 1972.

Sources and additional information

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