So why are we talking about the purple finch today?
Well, halloween has come and gone.
The holiday songs, however, have remained firmly in my brain.
On occasion, I catch myself mumbling “one eyed one horn flying purple people eater”.
And then I got thinking.
Is there such an animal?
Nothing came to mind.
So I pondered another thought.
Are there any purple animals?
In nature, purple as we know it is pretty rare. However, one bird did come to mind: the purple finch.
Yes, there really is a bird called the purple finch! Fortunately, it doesn’t eat people.
But, as we should all be used to by now, biology is not always as it seems…
Read on to discover more about the purple finch.
What Exactly is a Purple Finch?
Scientists have identified the purple finch as one of many hundred finch species across the globe.
While there are exceptions, most finches are small conical-billed seed-eating songbirds, or passerines.
The purple finch is a medium sized finch, rarely exceeding 6 inches in length.
What Does The Purple Finch Look Like?
IIf you were expecting a bird with deep purple coloration, sorry to disappoint you.
The purple finch, despite its name, is more pinky-red than purple.
Erm, science, are you okay?
Now, there actually is quite a logical explanation for this one.
Haemorhous, the genus name, stems from the Greek word “haemo”, meaning blood.
The species name, purpureus, comes from the Latin word for “crimson” or other reddish color.
In reality, we should really be calling the purple finch the red finch. But here we are.
Anyway, enough about that.
How do you identify the purple finch? What does it look like?
Male and female purple finches are strikingly different from one another. Whilst males are flamboyantly colorful, with shades of pink, purple and crimson plumage, the females have a rather dull streaky brown and white plumage.
Scientists commonly refer to this phenomenon, where males and females differ in appearance, as sexual dimorphism.
For purple finches, male color is used to determine fitness. Females will choose only those males with the brightest feathers.
Essentially, the male is showing off.
“Hey look at me, I’m bright and bold but I can still evade predators and have no parasites because look how nice my feathers are”
It pays to brag, I guess?
The females, on the other hand, don’t need to worry about showing off. Their inconspicuous coloration is purely protective and allows them to remain camouflaged in the twiggy canopy. Their job is to stay alive to raise the chicks.
Where To Find The Purple Finch?
It is somewhat hard to conclusively say where you’ll see the purple finch.
However, if you live in central and southeastern U.S, a good place to start would be in your own backyard – especially if you have a bird feeder with sunflower seeds.
But due to the erratic nature of their movement patterns, the purple finch isn’t always found in the same place.
The unpredictable production of cone-bearing crops, or conifers, directly influences the erratic movements of the purple finch.
Many conifer species, such as firs and spruces, undergo a two-year crop cycle and only produce cones every other year.
On top of this, due to tree stress and unsuitable weather, some cone-bearing years yield little to no cones at all.
Due to the uncertainty around food availability, purple finches can be found in wide regions across central and southeastern U.S.
Some populations breed in Canada and migrate southwards, whilst other populations – most notably those found in northeastern U.S, and along the Pacific Coast – do not migrate at all.
While most purple finches can be found in coniferous or mixed forests, they will happily survive in urban areas with shrubby fields and backyards.
What Does The Purple Finch Eat?
Many bird species across the globe are directly linked to forest growth.
By ingesting the fruit of trees and shrubs, birds distribute the hardy seeds through fecal deposits. In other words, birds poop out seeds in other places.
But not the purple finch.
These guys are prolific seed hunters, or granivores.
Like many other finch species, the purple finch has a thick, heavy-set beak. This, alongside its tongue, helps to crush seeds to extract the nutritious nut from inside.
A study, dubbed project feedwatcher, examined the food of choice of our common backyard birds. For the purple finch, the data gathered showed a strong preference for sunflower seeds, as well as nyjer and millet.
Nyjer is a small, thin black seed highly popular with most finch species.
But when feeders with sought after seeds are unavailable, what do purple finches do then?
High in the canopy, purple finches seek out the seeds of coniferous trees and elms, tulip poplars, and maples. In the summer months, they have been known to supplement their diet with an array of invertebrates, such as caterpillars.
Threats Facing The Purple Finch
Yup, even birds with population sizes into the millions face threats.
Although figures aren’t exact, scientists predict purple finches number close to 6 million individuals.
However, despite being a widespread species, their numbers are decreasing.
Are you surprised? I’m not.
Like other backyard bird species, an array of threats face the purple finch:
Habitat Loss
Sure, you have the direct consequences of habitat loss, such as a decrease in nesting spots and foraging grounds. But there are secondary consequences.
As our human population continues to grow, more land is being cleared for housing developments and farmland. With human encroachment, we’re introducing domesticated killers: house cats.
One study estimates that free-ranging domestic cats kill 1.3 – 4.0 billion birds annually in the U.S alone.
But cats aren’t the only problem associated with new settlements. Collisions with windows are increasing. Windows, especially those backing onto yards, reflect trees and shrubs and many birds unwittingly collide with fatal force.
Climate Change
Climate change goes hand in hand with existing threats, such as habitat loss and degradation. However, scientists are now observing new effects, such as shifting ranges and altered migration patterns.
For the purple finch, climate change is also affecting one of their most important food sources: conifers. With irregular crop seasons, food availability is becoming less predictable.
Introduced Species
While native to North America, house finches were considered a western species.
Today, however, they have been introduced to the East and their numbers have grown exponentially.
Although both species are a similar size, studies have shown that house finches outcompete purple finches in 95% of interactions.
House finches are more hardy than purple finches, and eat a varied mix of plant matter. They will also nest in both coniferous and deciduous forests, as well as artificial nest boxes.
Are There Any Similar Species To The Purple Finch?
Yes, there are similar-looking species to the purple finch that can easily be confused with this bird.
Throughout the U.S, there are at least two other species that look remarkably similar to our purple finch:
House Finch
Once found in just western USA, the house finch can now be found throughout the Eastern states.
The house finch is more suited to urban life. They can be found in gregarious and noisy groups throughout parks, farms, backyards and urban centers.
House finches and purple finches look similar, often causing confusion. But there are some slight tell-tale signs to distinguish the two species.
Adult male house finches have a deeper red coloration than purple finches that can be seen across the face and upper breast.
This vibrant coloration comes from the food they eat – house finches, like the purple finch, cannot produce their own red pigmentation.
House finches are also non-migratory, and will remain in an area year-round. This will help with IDing the two species during the winter months, when some populations of purple finches migrate.
Cassin’s Finch
Cassin’s finch, whilst appearing somewhat similar to both the purple and house finch, can be distinguished by its marginally larger size and paler coloration.
Another distinguishing characteristic of Cassin’s finch is the lack of streaking along its underparts in males – both purple and house finches have a streaked pattern.
Cassin’s finch is also the most Southerly found of the three finch species, traveling into the mountains of Central Mexico during the winter non-breeding season.
Final Thoughts
The purple finch is a social and noisy finch species found in coniferous forests of both eastern and western North America.
They can often be seen high in the canopy foraging cone crops and use their thick bill and tongue to extract the seed from within.
Due to the introduction of the house finch in eastern U.S, the purple finch is seeing population declines as they are becoming outcompeted.
To help the purple finch, and attract this colorful bird to your backyard, offer a selection of seeds such as sunflower and nyjer.
