Finches: Purple Versus House
January 29th, 2009 · 6 Comments
There’s been some discussion about purple finches versus house finches in the comments over on Mary’s View, so I thought I’d dig up a couple old pics and try to compare them. Above is a purple finch lolling in the sun. He’s a burly guy, with a rosy hue in his wing feathers and very little streaking on his chest and sides. Lots of people, including me, say you’ll know a purple finch when you see one. Pretty vague, I know, but it’s true. These guys are like mutant giants of the finch world.
House finches are more svelte, and have dark streaking on their bellies and sides. Above is a male with his offspring (I watched this brood grow up a couple seasons ago). Its wings lack the raspberry tint that the purple finch’s has, and overall it’s smaller than the purple finch. The house finch is more common in NC, so chances are if you’re on the fence with your ID, it’s probably a house finch. In times like this, when the wild berry crop is successful (holly in particular around here), male house finches will be extremely red, as their coloration is affected by the food they eat during molt. That extra red makes them look even more like their purple counterparts, especially when seen from a distance.
Or you can go with Josh’s explanation: “One is a tv show and the other is a bird.”
Tags: House Finch · Purple Finch
6 responses so far ↓
1 JT // Jan 29, 2009 at 10:54 am
Man, I crack me up.
2 Iris // Jan 29, 2009 at 10:55 am
Yes, you do. You certainly do.
3 Mary // Jan 29, 2009 at 11:38 am
Iris,
This is the best photo of a Male Purple Finch I’ve ever seen. You were probably the only person to identify the streakless belly of a PF…
Thank you! There’s no more doubt now after two years of wondering
)
Pffft.
Mary
4 Iris // Jan 29, 2009 at 11:40 am
Ha, like the saying goes, you’ll know it when you see it. I still mistake ‘em. Frankly, I’d be content just to lump birds into “blue,” “red,” “purple,” etc.
5 jan m // Jan 29, 2009 at 8:09 pm
I agree, Iris, that once you see a purple, there is no doubt. I used to hem and haw with my house finches, thinking one or the other might be purple, and then the real thing showed up, and ah-ha! I like your burly vs. svelte differentiation too.
6 Carolyn Powell // Jan 30, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Lovely shots of both birds. We have had house finches for several days and each time he sees one, my husbands yells for me to come look at the purple finch. I’ll show him your post.
Leave a Comment