House Finches and Purple Finches visit my backyard feeders here in Arkansas. Both give me opportunities for photographs, but telling them apart takes more than a glance at their red feathers.
House Finch vs Purple Finch: Color and Markings
I start with the adult males because their plumage offers several useful clues. A male House Finch has red around the face and upper breast, with brown streaks along the belly and sides. Some males look orange or yellow, so the shade alone can mislead you.
Male Purple Finches have a broader raspberry-red wash across the head, breast, and back. The eastern males we see in Arkansas lack the heavy brown flank streaks that stand out on male House Finches. I look at where the color appears as well as its shade.
Females require a different comparison. A female Purple Finch has a pale eyebrow and a dark line along the side of her throat. Female House Finches have plainer faces and blurry brown streaks below. Immature birds can resemble females, so a brown finch is not necessarily female.
Body shape adds another clue. Purple Finches tend to look stockier, while House Finches can look slimmer and longer-tailed. Their sizes overlap, though, so I would not identify either species by size alone.
Comparing Finches in My Backyard Photographs
The four photographs here feature male finches that visited my Arkansas backyard. I have included two House Finch photographs and two Purple Finch photographs for comparison.
Use the House Finch images to study the boundary between the red breast and the streaked underside. Then compare the Purple Finch photographs, paying attention to the more extensive rosy coloring on the head.
For an identification photograph, a view that includes the face and sides gives you more to examine. A portrait can show the bird’s color, but those additional markings help you decide which species you have.
Identifying the Finches at Your Feeder
Photographing these birds is part of the pleasure of watching my backyard feeders. Knowing which species appears in each photograph matters to me, too.
If you have trouble telling them apart, start with the face, then check the breast and sides. Compare several features before settling on an identification. That gives you a firmer answer than judging how red a bird looks.