House and Purple Finch
The identification of some bird species can be challenging, especially with some species of small birds. For example, many people struggle when trying to differentiate between the House Finch (Haemorphous mexicanus) and the Purple Finch (Haemorphous purpureus). Right away, you will notice that the Genus name Haemorphous is the same for both birds. The Genus name is Greek and means “blood-rumped,” which refers to the red patch at the base of the tail, which the males of both species display.
When two species that look similar and have a shared ancestry (homology), it’s called parallel evolution. In parallel evolution, each species maintains similar traits due to similar ecological pressures. This makes sense, but there is one huge problem: the House Finch and the Purple Finch did not co-evolve in the same regions or under similar pressures. You see, the House Finch is not a native species to the eastern half of the United States, unlike the Purple Finch, even though the House Finch is now found just about everywhere in the United States.
The House Finch is a common bird that often nests on or near our homes and readily comes to backyard feeding stations. Originally, it was found throughout the western half of the country. In the early 1900’s, thousands of birds were captured in California and shipped to New York, where they were sold as caged birds under the name of “Hollywood Finch”. In the 1940’s, laws were passed that made this practice illegal, and pet stores and private citizens released hundreds of these birds into the wild. The newly released House Finches found each other and started to reproduce, and within 50 years, they colonized the entire eastern half of the country.
The Purple Finch, which naturally occurs in the eastern half of the country, breeds in coniferous forests in Canada and the far northern parts of Minnesota, Michigan, and Maine. For nesting, the Purple Finch stays away from human houses, unlike the House Finch, and is more of a wilderness bird.
The Purple Finch is a migratory bird that moves into the southern states during winter. Each spring, when the Purple Finch migrates back up to Canada, it stops in at many backyard feeding stations across the eastern United States. This is where the confusion comes in. Since the House Finch and the Purple Finch look so similar and both come to feeding stations, it leads to confusion.
This spring, I had dozens of Purple Finches visiting my feeders for over 2 weeks. It was fabulous to see a bird that I normally don’t see. They were migrating northward and took a break at my feeders to rest and fuel up. They need energy to make the last leg of their northern journey and to get ready for the breeding season.
As I mentioned earlier, the Purple Finch and House Finch look very similar. Fortunately, when it comes to the females, they are easy to tell the difference. Both are grayish brown with faint white marks. However, the female Purple Finch has a distinctive white mark or stripe over the eye, and the female House Finch doesn’t, making the females easy to differentiate.
Male Purple Finch are more raspberry red in color than the male House Finch. In addition, the male Purple Finch has a slight crest of feathers on its head, giving them a “peaked” head appearance. Male House Finches have a flat top of the head and a small, round patch of brown feathers. The male Purple Finch usually lacks any brown streaking on their sides and belly, unlike the House Finch, which has prominent brown and white streaking.
So, there you have it, at first the two finches appear similar, but upon a closer look, there are some obvious differences which should help you correctly identify the finches that come to your feeders in the spring. Until next time…
About Stan
Stan Tekiela is an author, naturalist, and wildlife photographer who travels extensively to study and photograph wildlife. He can be followed on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, and contacted via his website at naturesmart.com.