Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus), Ash Canyon B&B, Cochise County

This Purple Finch was found by Jim and Debby Parker on 28 Feburary 2016 and photographed by Arlene Ripley on 29 Feburary 2016

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 sixteen prior pending reports, eleven since November 2015 . 

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 and blurry breast streaking. Also note the pale arc under the eye and lack of an eyering.

01 March 2016, photo by Arlene Ripley

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