House v Purple Finch

Haemorhous mexicanus v Haemorhous purpureus

This time of year, beginning birders excitedly ask for ID help with the brightly colored finches around our homes and out in nature. Both House and Purple Finches are not really purple, they’re more of an old-rose hue. Male House and Purple Finches display a wide variety of plumage coloration ranging from gray to bright crimson. The coloration comes from carotenoid pigments found in some wild foods (birds can’t make bright red or yellow colors directly). The more pigment present in the foods eaten when they are molting new feathers, the redder the male. This

is why people sometimes see orange or yellowish male House Finches. Females prefer to mate with the reddest male they can find, perhaps raising the chances they get a capable mate who can do his part in feeding the nestlings.

Where Purple Finch males are red nearly all over their bodies, House Finches have less extensive red coloration that is concentrated on the crown, throat, breast and rump. It is often said

that Purple Finch males look as though they have been dunked in raspberry jam. Regardless, there is significant variation in coloration among individuals, and this is not always a reliable identification characteristic. The most distinguishing features are the flanks: House Finches have brown-streaked flanks, whereas Purple Finches have reddish flanks.

Females are also difficult to distinguish, but there are slight differences in coloration. Female

Purple Finches have relatively bold, brown and white head patterns while female House Finches have plain, brown heads. The brown streaks on the breast and flanks are blurry and grayish on House Finches versus clear, brown streaks against a white background for Purple Finches. For both sexes, the bill shape may also help to identify the species. For Purple Finches, the bills appear straight and pointed, whereas House Finches have bills that are curved and appear more stocky and rounded.

Purple Finches aren’t purple, and House Finches don’t stick to houses. Even experts get stumped by finches, but don’t despair. With a little practice, you can learn the clearest field marks for each of these species. The good news is that all of these finches love sunflower seeds. Even on the coldest days, they will stick around, brightening up the yard with animated flashes of color. So as long as you have a feeder, you’ll have plenty of

opportunities to study up.

Did You Know? The House Finch was originally a bird of the western United States and Mexico. In 1940 a small number of finches were turned loose on Long Island, New York, after failed attempts to sell them as cage birds (“Hollywood finches”). They quickly started breeding and spread across almost all of the eastern United States and southern Canada within the next 50 years. Purple Finches seem to be losing numbers in eastern North America as House Finches have moved in. One study of finch behavior found that Purple Finches lost out to House Finches more than 95% of the times the two birds encountered each other.

-Samantha Zeiner, Administrative Coordinator