Purple Finch    Carpodacus purpureus

Conservation Status

General Status in Canada : Secure

COSEWIC Status : Not assessed

Local populations can experience large losses due to extreme winter conditions. Purple Finches also experience mortality from colliding with objects during migration. Some logging practices, such as selective thinning, are probably beneficial to Purple Finch populations, but more extreme measures like clear-cutting are detrimental. In general, the above limitations do not explain the declines in Purple Finch numbers that have been documented by the Breeding Bird Survey, especially in northern and eastern populations. In the east, one likely factor is the invasion of the House Finch (C. mexicanus), which locally out-competes the Purple Finch for resources. Overall this species is considered secure, but further study is required to determine the causes of recent population declines.

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