From Opus

Carpodacus purpureus

Photo by SarahC
Location: Arkansas Ozarks

Photo of female by Bill Garber
Location: Richmond, Indiana

[edit] Description

[edit] Male

• Raspberry red on head, breast, back and rump
• Streaked back

[edit] Female

• Light brown upperparts
• White underparts with dark brown streaks
• White supercilium

Like the House Finch, it has a rare golden-yellow variant of the normal red plumage.

[edit] Distribution

Canada and the northeastern United States.

Birds from northern Canada migrate to the southern United States; other birds are permanent residents.

[edit] Taxonomy

Polytypic. Consists of two subspecies.

[edit] Habitat

Coniferous and mixed forest, as well as various wooded areas along the U.S. Pacific coast.

[edit] Behaviour

[edit] Diet

These birds forage in trees and bushes, sometimes in ground vegetation. They mainly eat seeds, berries and insects. They are fond of sunflower seeds, millet, and thistle. They nest on a horizontal branch or in a fork of a tree.

[edit] Breeding

[edit] Vocalisation

[edit] Discussion

This bird has been displaced from some habitat by House Sparrows and then the introduction of House Finches in the east.

This is the state bird of New Hampshire.

[edit] External Links