How to Tell a Purple Finch and House Finch Apart

I cannot believe that is has been over 2 months since I posted. Where has the time gone? Now that spring migration is upon us, I hope to post a little more often and I hope to get some good photos to share with all of you.

This past winter I was lucky and had both Purple Finches and House Finches regularly visiting my feeders. I quickly realized that it can be very hard to tell Purple Finches and House Finches apart. I don't feel so bad, because even expert birders can have a difficult time.  

If you are unsure which bird you are seeing, the first thing you will want to do it check a map. House finches are very common across North America, while Purple Finches are less common and are only seen during migration and non-breeding times of the year.

Male House Finch Feeding Female House Finch

One of my favorite resources for identifying birds is the Merlin Bird ID app. It allows you to enter the date, area, size and main colors of the bird. In turn, it will give you a list of birds that can be seen in the area that matches the description. It also has bird sounds and maps which come in really handy.

The purple finch and the house finch can be identified by their physical characteristics.  These doppelgangers might look a lot alike, but if you have a keen eye and a good set of birding binoculars you can do it.

I have read many articles and blog posts to learn how to tell the difference between the House Finch and Purple Finch, and all of the information can get overwhelming and confusing. There is so much unnecessary information to read through just to find out basic information.

To make things easier for you I have put together some pictures with tags so that you can tell these beautiful birds apart.

How to know if the bird is a Purple Finch or House Finch.  

Male House Finch	Male Purple Finch
Female House Finch	Female Purple Finch

If you are a nature lover please take a moment and check out my Wilfreda Designs Store located on Zazzle. Click HERE to be taken directly to my storefront. 

My First Hermit Thrush and My Big Year

My First Hermit Thrush

Here in Ohio, the weather has been absolutely crazy. One day we will have several inches of snow and the next it is 68 degrees. It has been such a strange year, but I have been lucky and have had a few birds show up at my feeders that I rarely see.

My Little Visitor

On February 1^st, it was one of our snowy days. There was a constant stream of birds at the feeder. I bundled up and headed outside to try to get a couple good shots. I was hiding next to the steps that come down off of our deck. I snapped picture after picture and was able to get some good pictures, but the cold was really starting to get to me. I told myself to hang in there for just a few more minutes and that’s when the Hermit Thrush showed up. I was so happy I waited.

When it landed in the bush next to the platform feeder, I think it startled both of us. It looked at me and I stared at it. I had no idea what it was. I finally got my head out of the sand and snapped off a couple of pictures. They weren’t the greatest, but I was happy to get them.

At first, I thought that it had to be a wood thrush or maybe a brown thrasher, but neither of them winters in this area. Hmmm….what could it be? I pulled out my trusty Merlin Bird ID app. and there it was the Hermit Thrush. It says that it is uncommon in this area. I don’t know how accurate that is, but I know I haven’t seen one before and I haven’t seen one since.

My Personal Big Year

I decided that I was going to do a personal big year. Every year I begin to write down all of the species I see and keep track of their comings and goings. But, I usually give up before January is even over. This year I have kept track every single day. I purchased A Big Year spiral notebook and I keep it close to my back door. This helps me to keep it up to date. I’ve managed to see 37 different species so far, and that’s not bad since most of them have been at my house. During these cold weird winter months, I don’t like to get out much. The weather is just depressing.

So far I have seen:

1. American Crow
2. American Goldfinch
3. Bald Eagle
4. Black-Capped Chickadee
5. Blue Jay
6. Brown Creeper
7. Canada Goose
8. Carolina Chickadee
9. Carolina Wren
10. Chipping Sparrow
11. Dark-Eyed Junco
12. Downy Woodpecker
13. Eastern Bluebird
14. Eastern Towhee
15. European Starling
16. Golden -Crowned Kinglet
17. Hairy Woodpecker
18. Hermit Thrush
19. House Finch
20. House Sparrow
21. Mallard Duck
22. Mourning Dove
23. Mute Swan
24. Northern Cardinal
25. Northern Flicker
26. Pileated Woodpecker
27. Purple Finch
28. Red-Bellied Woodpecker
29. Red-Tailed Hawk
30. Ring-Billed Gull
31. Rock Pigeon
32. Song Sparrow
33. Tufted Titmouse
34. White-Breasted Nuthatch
35. White-Throated Sparrow
36. Wild Turkey
37. Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

The ohiobirds.org checklist reports there are 434 total species to be seen in Ohio. So, I have quite a few more to see. After having a couple 60+ degree days outside I am already having spring fever set in. I know it will be here before we know it, but that still isn’t soon enough. Here shortly though, in just a few weeks, the waterfowl will start returning. That will give me something to look forward too, and some more checkmarks on my Ohio Birding list.