Bedford Audubon Society

With the ritual of winter bird feeding, comes the perennial question, as to whether the little red finches at your feeder are House Finches, Carpodacus mexicanus, or the more sought after Purple Finch, Carpodacus purpureus.

In order to sort out this situation, we look for some obvious field marks and, if possible, distinctive vocalizations made by both species. The rule of thumb is that, because House Finches are so successful, if you have a good-sized flock (5 to 25+ individuals) of noisy red finches at your feeder, you can probably count on them being House Finches. Purple Finches typically visit feeders in our area in ones and twos, but sometimes as many as five or six will quietly appear at your feeder.

House Finch
Male House Finch	Female House Finch

A relatively slim-looking bright orange-red finch, its call note is a clearly audible "weet-weet, weet-weet." A visiting flock of this species will mill and flutter about your feeders, sometimes evicting one another off perches to get a crack at glomming up seed.

Their assertive or aggressive tendencies make them less popular than the Purple Finch. On the male, look for a distinctly brown back, with orange-red coloring on the eyebrows, forehead, and chin to lower chest. Well-defined brown streaking runs from the chest, flanks and belly to the vent. The female is all grayish-brown, with streaking on the undersides and no red coloration at all.

House Finches will readily nest in almost any man-made structure, including, barns, garages, under awnings and in hanging flower baskets. They are common during the breeding season in our region.

Purple Finch
Male Purple Finch	Female Purple Finch

This portly-looking bird is retiring at the feeder, being easily bullied by House Finches. The call note is a musical "pik." This note is given singly, and can easily be missed in the wind or in the background behind the din of birds calling and cavorting at your feeder. The male of the species is a rich, raspberry-red all over. The head shape is somewhat bulbous in contrast to that of the House Finch (which is more flat-headed in appearance) and he lacks any streaking on the chest. The female Purple Finch is boldly marked with a brown cheek patch and contrasting white eye line. The chest and under parts are heavily streaked in brown. Both sexes of this species show a heavy, conical bill, and a short, deeply notched tail, as compared to the House Finch’s thinner bill and longer tail.

Purple Finch is a common nester of the north woods, preferring mixed coniferous-deciduous woods to completely coniferous forest of northern New York and New England. They rarely nest in our region, preferring areas far away from human activity during the breeding season.

Purple Finch photos Courtesy of and Copyright © by Frank J Nicoletti
bjboreal@aol.com
House Finch photos Courtesy of and Copyright by © Dick Budnik Photography
DickBudnik@verizon.net http://mysite.verizon.net/DickBudnik

Bedford Audubon Society

A Northern Westchester & Eastern Putnam Counties, New York Chapter of the National Audubon Society

Celebrating 95 Years of Conservation 1913-2008

Finches at Your Feeder By John Askildsen

Finches at Your Feeder
By John Askildsen