Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus), Rotary Park, Lake Havasu City, Mohave County

This Purple Finch was found and photographed by David Vander Pluym on 09 November 2017

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 four falls/winters, with the strongest movement into the state in several decades occurring in 2015/16.

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 (also indicates the western subspecies), rounded culmen and blurry breast streaking. Also note the pale arc under the eye and lack of an eyering.

09 November 2017, photo by David Vander Pluym

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