Raspberry-like color identifies purple finch Females might be mistaken for sparrows

Recently I received some questions about purple finches I thought would be of interest.

A co-worker asked me about some birds she was seeing at her feeders. Some had reddish heads and breasts, she said, while others looked like sparrows. I mentioned that what she saw were most likely male and female purple finches. The males, of course, are the colorful ones; they’ve been described as looking “as if they’ve been dipped in raspberry juice.” The females are plain, resembling what most people know as “sparrows.” The Birds of North America species account describes them as “…by contrast…an inconspicuous, drab, sparrow-like bird.”

The key words here are “by contrast.” While not as gaudy as the males, the females are nevertheless strikingly marked, in my opinion. Certainly more so than most females of other species and easy to identify as a result.

Another reader wrote in to tell me of an unusual incident involving these birds.

Ruth White of Newburgh recently found an injured male in the snow of her yard. She easily caught the bird and did the best thing she could have: placed it in a box with food, water, and evergreen twigs under which to hide. She then left it alone in a cozy sunroom, occasionally checking in to see if it was eating the seed she had left it. It was.

“The next morning he seemed subdued but still eating and hopping about in the box,” she recounted. “I couldn’t tell if he could actually fly but his activity level showed that he did not want to be confined to the box any more.

“I decided to take the box outside and see if he could make his way out of it. The box was placed at the edge of the deck near a bush and I stepped back into the sunroom to observe what he did. He hopped quickly to edge of the box and then into the bush. By hopping and moving his wings he worked his way to the middle of the bush and then gave a small trill cry. Immediately a female purple finch flew into the bush near him.”

Usually, Ruth said, birds never came near the deck while someone was within sight in the sunroom. Yet this female completely ignored her presence on this occasion.

Amazed, she watched the female follow the injured male as he made his slow, handicapped way to another bush, then across a clearing – she hopping along the snow with him – to the woods.

“By this time they were out of my sight, but it was clear to see that he had called to her and she came…. Have you read or heard of purple finches having permanent mates?”

Consulting the BNA account, I read that while purple finches are so far known to be monogamous, it is not known how long the pair bond lasts. In other words, it could last one breeding season or endure through many breeding seasons.

Based upon what was described above, it is tempting to think it could endure.

NEWS bird columnist Chris Corio can be reached at bdnsports@bangordailynews.net