Scientific Name: Carpodacus purpureus
Nest Type: Cup
Nest Location: Coniferous or deciduous tree; 6-40'
Clutch Size: 3-6; avg. 4-5
Food: Seeds, insects, fruit
Foraging Guild: Ground and foliage gleaner
The Purple Finch has a relatively wide breeding distribution which includes the
Great Lakes region, north throughout the wooded regions of Canada, to the western
Rockies, and south to California (Bent 1968). In Minnesota, the species is a resident
throughout the northeastern and north central regions and breeds as far south as Stearns
and Isanti counties (Roberts 1932, Janssen 1987). During the winter, the species is found
throughout the western Rockies, from southern British Columbia south to Baja, California.
It also can be found throughout Minnesota and the eastern U.S. during the winter. It is
commonly found during the winter season at feeders.
The Purple Finch is an omnivore and consumes insects, seeds, and fruits, which it
gleans both from trees, shrubs, and the ground. During the non-breeding season when
insects are not as abundant, the diet primarily consists of seeds and fruits (Martin et al.
1951). The species is also a frequent visitor to feeders in urban areas. The species lays 4-6 eggs, and the nest is generally placed from 1 to more than 20 m in a conifer tree,
especially spruce (Roberts 1932).
The general breeding habitat distribution of the species corresponds to conifer and
mixed conifer-deciduous forests, conifers in parks, and in similar residential areas (Roberts
1932, Bent 1968, Niemi and Pfannmuller 1979, DeGraaf et al. 1991, Brewer et al. 1991). In
the Chippewa and Superior National Forests, the species was observed in a variety of
forest types, including both coniferous-associated and deciduous forests (Hanowski and
Niemi 1991a, 1991b). The latter generally included some coniferous trees.
Throughout its distribution in Minnesota, the Purple Finch seems relatively plastic in
its habitat use. However, it does prefer habitats with a conifer component for nesting.
Reductions in pole and saw-sized conifers and mixed deciduous-coniferous forests may
have a negative effect on the population levels of the species within Minnesota's forests.
Because the species nests in late April to late May, it is not censused well by the prevailing
methods that focus on counts done in late May to early July. Hence, the species is likely
more abundant than most data would indicate.
The species has not shown a significant trend in its population in Minnesota based
on the Breeding Bird Survey roadside counts (Janssen 1990).