Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus), El Rio Open Space Preserve (Coachline Gravel Pit), Pima County

This Purple Finch was found and photographed by Andrew Core on 27 April 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 19 prior pending reports, 12 since November 2015. This individual is also late for the state.

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.

27 April 2016, photo by Andrew Core

All photos are copyrighted© by photographer