Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus), Aspen Springs, Prescott National Forest, Yavapai County

This flock of about 18 Purple Finches was found and photographed by Bryan Patrick on 26 February 2017. Purple Finches were also found at this location in November 2015 and 2016.

Casual and irregular fall and winter visitor to Arizona. Historically more frequent in small numbers, but still casual. Interestingly, it has been documented in Arizona the past three years, with the strongest movement into the state in several decades occurring in 2015/16.

This finch can be separated from House Finch by the strong face pattern and notched tail. The best characters to separate this bird from a Cassin's Finch are the overall greenish color (in females), rounded culmen and blurry breast streaking. Also note the pale arc under the eye and lack of an eyering. Soft "pik" flight calls were heard.

26 February 2017, photo by Bryan Patrick

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