BE AWARE THAT HABITAT TYPE MORE THAN ANY OTHER FACTOR, WILL IN MOST CASES, DICTATE THE SPECIES OF BIRD THAT VISIT YOUR PROPERTY.
How to Attract Purple Finch
A welcomed sight at bird feeders, the male Purple Finch is more strawberry red than it is purple. Purple Finch favor black-oil sunflower seed but will eat a variety of seed from a variety of feeder types. You are most likely to see this bird in winter, which is when it has a broader range and is more willing to come out of the forest and into backyards. Besides store bought seed, the Purple Finch will also eat wild seed, berries, and trees buds. In the forest, Purple Finch eat tree seeds (especially those of evergreen), berries and insects. They may use a birdbath. Like the Pine Siskin, Purple Finch migration patterns are unpredictable and inconsistent.
Top Ways to Attract Purple Finch
Trees & Shrubs that Attract Purple Finch
- American Holly (Fruit)
- American Sycamore (Seed)
- Ash (Seed)
- Aspen (Bud)
- Beech (Bud)
- Birch (Bud, Seed)
- Common Juniper (Fruit)
- Crabapple (Fruit)
- Eastern Red Cedar (Fruit, Nesting)
- Eastern Hemlock (Seed, Nesting)
- Eastern White Pine (Seed, Nesting)
- Elm (Seed)
- Flowering Dogwood (Bud)
- Hawthorn (Fruit)
- Maple (Buds, Nesting)
- Red Mulberry (Fruit)
- Red-Twig Dogwood (Fruit)
- Spruce (Seed)
- Sumac (Fruit)
- Tulip-Poplar (Seed)
- Wild Cherry (Fruit, Nesting)
- Winterberry (Fruit)
Flowers & Vines that Attract Purple Finch
- Goldenrod (Seed)
- Red Columbine (Seed)
- Sunflower (Seed)
- Trumpet Honeysuckle (Fruit)
- Wild Blackberry (Fruit)
Attracting Purple Finch with a Bird Feeder
Feeder Type:
Seeds:
Purple Finch Information
Purple Finch Identification:
- Small-sized bird
- Male: rose-colored overall but most profoundly on head, neck, and breast. White belly, reddish-brown back.
- Female: brown upperparts, white underparts with brown streaking
Purple Finch Habitat:
- Breeding: evergreen forest, mature mixed forest.
- Winter: mature forest, weedy fields, backyards
Purple Finch Eating Habits:
- Primarily seeds – especially tree seeds
- Sometimes: buds, fruits, insects
Purple Finch Nesting:
- Most commonly high in evergreen tree.
- Sometimes in deciduous tree