Purple Finch    Carpodacus purpureus

Migratory Status: Short-distance migrant

PIF Population Estimate: 3 000 000

Percent of western hemisphere population breeding in boreal forest: <25%

BAM Effective Detection Radius (m) : 65.36

PIF Maximum Detection Distance (m) : 125

Canadian BBS Population trend: -1.5 (-2.5 to -0.4)

Life History

Often confused with the similar House Finch (C. mexicanus) and Cassin’s Finch (C. cassinii), the Purple Finch has the most northernly range and is the only one of the three found in the boreal forest during the breeding season. Its breeding range extends from the Yukon Territory eastward to Newfoundland, primarily in cool and moist coniferous forests. To the south, the Purple Finch is found throughout the north-eastern states around the Great Lakes and along the Appalachian Mountains into West Virginia. In the west, populations breed in coastal regions into southern California.

During the winter, this species is less likely to be influenced by habitat conditions and occurs wherever there is adequate food. It is common for the Purple Finch to be quite numerous in a place one year and virtually absent from it the next. Variations in abundance are thought to be driven by annual variation in cone production by conifers. Therefore, the winter range of the Purple Finch is expansive, extending from southern areas of central Canada to the east coast, and south to Florida, Texas, and the Gulf Coast, in addition to remaining along the Pacific Coast in the west.

Males in breeding plumage are striking, conspicuous birds, with red colouration that is spread throughout their heads, necks, sides, and backs. The male’s lower belly and undertail coverts are unmarked and white, which help to distinguish Purple Finches from other finch species. Females have little to no red colouration, but are strongly streaked with dark brown or gray across their back and flanks, and have a bright white, unstreaked belly. Females also have a white eyebrow and a solid brown cheek patch.

The Purple Finch is predominately a seed eater, foraging on the outer limbs of trees, but it will also feed on buds and the nectar of flowers. It attains nectar, without assisting in pollination, by crushing a flower’s base to extract liquid, leaving the main part of the flower untouched. During the winter, it is common for the Purple Finch to associate with single and multi-species flocks, consisting of Pine Siskins (Carduelis pinus) and American Goldfinches (Carduelis tristis). These mixed foraging and roosting flocks can attain sizes of more than 200 individuals.

The Purple Finch has three song types. The best known is the ‘warbling’ song, which is sung in late winter and spring and is thought to play a role in mate choice. The second song is the ‘territory’ song, which is sung during the breeding season and plays a role in territory defence among males. The third song type, the ‘Vireo’ song, is sung in the early spring and into the fall, and its function is unknown.

Reference(s)

Wootton, J. T. 1996. Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus), The Birds of North America Online, . A. Poole, Ed. Ithaca: Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology; Retrieved from The Birds of North America Online database: http://bna.birds.cornell.edu/bna/species/208