Purple Finch
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Family
Subfamily
Genus
SPECIES
Haemorhous purpureus
Population size
Unknown
Life Span
up to 14 years
Weight
18-32
0.6-1.1
goz
g oz 
Length
12-16
4.7-6.3
cminch
cm inch 
Wingspan
22-26
8.7-10.2
cminch
cm inch 

The purple finch (Haemorhous purpureus ) is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae.

Di

Diurnal

He

Herbivore

Gr

Granivore

Ca

Carnivore

In

Insectivores

Te

Terrestrial

Ov

Oviparous

Ar

Arboreal

Te

Territorial

Co

Congregatory

Mo

Monogamy

So

Social

Fl

Flocking

Mi

Migrating

P

starts with

Appearance

The Purple finch is a small bird found in North America. Adults of this species have short forked brown tails and brown wings. Adult males are raspberry red on the head, breast, back, and rump; their back is streaked. Adult females have light brown upperparts and white underparts with dark brown streaks throughout; they have a white line on the face above the eye.

Video

Distribution

Geography

Purple fiches occur in Canada and the northeastern United States. Birds from northern Canada migrate to the southern United States; other birds are permanent residents. Purple finches prefer to breed in coniferous and mixed forests. They can also be found in various wooded and semi-open areas, including suburbs and overgrown fields, avoiding more heavily populated urban areas, but sometimes found in rural residential areas.

Purple Finch habitat map

Climate zones

Purple Finch habitat map
Purple Finch
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Habits and Lifestyle

During the winter time, Purple finches are social and often spend time in flocks that may contain different species. With the start of the breeding season, these birds become territorial. Purple finches forage by day in trees and bushes, and sometimes in ground vegetation. In order to communicate with each other, they make a distinctive “tick” call in flight and their song is a rich musical warble.

Seasonal behavior
Bird's call

Diet and Nutrition

Purple finches have a herbivorous (granivorous) and carnivorous (insectivorous) diet. They mainly eat seeds, insects, and sometimes berries. They are fond of sunflower seeds, millet, and thistle.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
INCUBATION PERIOD
13 days
INDEPENDENT AGE
2 weeks
BABY NAME
chick
web.animal_clutch_size
3-6 eggs

Purple finches have a monogamous mating system and form pairs. They usually nest on a horizontal branch or in a fork of a tree. The female is responsible for building her nest; it is shaped like an open cup, made up of rootlets, twigs, and weeds, and lined with grass, hair, and moss. The female lays between 3 and 6 eggs and incubates them for about 13 days. The chicks hatch altricial and both parents feed them until they are ready to leave the nest in about 2 weeks after hatching.

Population

Population threats

This species is not considered threatened at present.

Population number

The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Purple finch total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.

Fun Facts for Kids

  • The Purple finch is the state bird of New Hampshire.
  • In 1763, Richard Brookes described the female Purple finch in Mexico with the name of "chiantototl" which is translated as “chia seed bird”.
  • Purple finches sometimes like to add the sounds of other birds in their songs.

Coloring Pages

References

1. Purple finch Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Purple_finch
2. Purple finch on The IUCN Red List site - https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22720553/94672558
3. Xeno-canto bird call - https://xeno-canto.org/691786

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