# Purple Finch

*Haemorhous purpureus*

Roger Tory Peterson famously described the male Purple Finch as a 'bird dipped in raspberry juice.'

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Passeriformes › Fringillidae › Haemorhous
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** decreasing
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Coniferous and mixed forests, forest edges, and suburban gardens during winter.
- **Diet:** Primarily seeds, buds, and berries; occasionally consumes insects during the breeding season.
- **Range:** Canada, Northeastern United States, Pacific Coast of North America
- **Size:** 12-16 cm in length with a wingspan of 22-26 cm.
- **Lifespan:** 3 to 5 years on average; record is 12 years.
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Competition with the introduced House Finch, habitat loss, and window strikes.
- **Safe to approach?:** Harmless. These birds are best observed from a distance with binoculars to avoid causing them stress. If you find an injured finch, contact a local wildlife rehabilitator. They are not aggressive to humans.

## About

The purple finch ( Haemorhous purpureus ) is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/e067ea3b-68c8-4b4c-8936-363a53b2c830
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/199841
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haemorhous purpureus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/488054029/medium.jpg (Dani Alba, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.