Purple Finch Male

Day 199: Backyard birding has taken on a whole new relevance since COVID-19 appeared on our maps, and although I'm not likely to see any new species, it's a delight when one of the "summer folk" arrives. I presently have a disproportionate number of female Purple Finches giving the few brightly coloured males a wide selection of potential mates. The female is an LBJ, "Little Brown Job" in birder parlance, and sometimes difficult to identify at first glance because she resembles a sparrow. Look for a light "eyebrow," a heavy, seed-cracking beak and a dark lateral (side) stripe on the throat which begins at the lower part of the bill. The male is much easier to pin down. He looks as if he'd bathed in raspberry juice. Where the species overlap, males can be confused with those of House Finch, but remember: Houses have shingles, i.e., their breasts are marked with dark flecks. The breast of the male Purple Finch is clear.