Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus), Hidden Valley, Pinal County

This Purple Finch was found and photographed by Nancy Lange on 26 November 2015

Purple Finch is a casual transient and winter visitor with only five records since 2003, when it was reinstated on the review list. This year and last year were flight years for Purple Finch in the California deserts and there are ten prior pending reports.

This finch is readily told from a House Finch by the strong face pattern. The best characters to separate this bird from a female Cassin's Finch are the overall greenish color, rounded culmen, short primary projection and blurry breast streaking. Also note the pale arc under the eye and lack of an eyering.

26 November 2015, photo by Nancy Lange

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