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House Finch or Purple Finch? Here’s How to Tell Them Apart
Some clues to help distinguish between these two often-confused finches.
Purple听Finches aren鈥檛听purple, and House听Finches don鈥檛 stick to听houses. But that鈥檚 only the start of the confusion around听these two doppelgangers. A red and brown听bird at your feeder might be either one throughout much听of the United States.听So how can we tell them apart?
First, consult a map. House听Finches are common and widespread across most of North America, including Hawaii. Meanwhile, Purple听Finches nest in Canada, along the Pacific, and in the Northeast.听In winter they migrate as far south as Florida, but they don't typically visit the Interior West at any time of year. To see each bird's range, visit our online field guide, or download our free 香港六合开奖记录 bird guide app.听
Even experts get flummoxed by听finches, but don鈥檛 despair. With a little听practice, you can learn the clearest field听marks for each of these species. Click or tap on the dots on the photos and let them guide you.
House Finch
Purple Finch
A few more notes: Color is helpful, but听it varies among individuals, so use caution.听Females and young males of both species are simply brown and white, and can be especially tricky. Female听Purple听Finches have a well-defined听white mark above each eye and are more crisply patterned.听As always, structure and behavior are also useful.听
Gradually, it will become easier to identify these听finches鈥攂ut don鈥檛 get overconfident. Separating them requires care; you need to depend on听multiple characteristics to confirm each ID.
One last caveat: In the Interior West, the Cassin鈥檚听Finch鈥攁 third look-alike鈥攊s also thrown into the mix. It generally doesn't overlap with the听Purple听Finch, which is fortunate because the听two are remarkably similar. (Cassin鈥檚 has a longer, straighter beak and a noticeable eye ring.)听But there are a few places where it's possible to see any of the听three red听finches! Among high-elevation conifer forests in western听Montana to northwestern New Mexico and Nevada, Cassin鈥檚 is the most likely of the trio.
The good news is that all three of these听finches love听sunflower seeds. Even on the coldest days, they will听stick around, brightening up the yard with animated flashes of color. So as long as you have a听feeder, you'll have plenty of opportunities to听study up.