[wisb] Re: RFI:Finch ID
- From: Chris West <little_blue_birdie@xxxxxxx>
- To: Tom Prestby <jjprestby@xxxxxxx>, "[Wisb]" <wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2012 20:26:35 -0600
Tom and all,
With all due respect, not even the House Finches of southern Arizona have that
much red. House Finch will always display a white belly. The red on this bird
(or rather, deep crimson) extends all the way back and through the flanks,
something no House Finch would display. Bill size in proportion to the rest of
the bird is far more Purple Finch-like than House Finch. Also, the brownish
stripe through the eye, which creates the distinctive facial pattern, is
indicative of Purple Finch. As you mention, Purple Finch is typically chunkier
than House Finch. Something I'm seeing quite evident in the photos rather than
the more streamlined shape. Most Purple Finches have some purplish wash through
the wings, but not all. This is a pigment distribution that isn't displayed on
some birds. Also, if you look at the nape and the upper back, that whole area
is a deep purplish color. While this can show on House Finch, it is much more
common on Purple Finch.
Another thing to note is how evenly the coloring is spread throughout the
chest, underparts, head, back, etc. House Finch generally has a focused area
of color that is brighter than the rest where Purple Finch is typically much
more even in its color distribution.
Sorry, but unless more photos are produced that can clearly support either
identification, I'm going to have to stick with Purple Finch on this one. This
is a bird I get at my feeders all winter every winter. They're pretty easy to
pick out among the few House Finches.
--Chris W, Richland County
> From: jjprestby@xxxxxxx
> To: little_blue_birdie@xxxxxxx; wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [wisb] Re: RFI:Finch ID
> Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2012 19:49:55 -0600
>
> Chris and all,
>
> This bird looks like a classic House Finch with a little more red than
> normal. Although it is rosier than normal it does not fall outside the lines
> for House Finch. Don't let the bill confuse you, the bill can look large in
> zoomed in pictures like these, especially depending on the angle. Most
> important are the gray wings and gray eyeline and cheek, neither of which a
> Purple Finch will have. Purple Finches should have a pinkish wash on top of
> the gray in the wings which this bird does not have. This bird does lack
> streaking but I don't consider that important for outruling House Finch
> either. The shape always seems different too, Purple Finches seem chunkier.
> Of all the House and Purple Finches I have seen, I would not think twice
> about this being a House Finch.
>
> Tom Prestby
> Hayward, Sawyer Cty
>
> > From: little_blue_birdie@xxxxxxx
> > To: tcwood729@xxxxxxxxx; wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Subject: [wisb] Re: RFI:Finch ID
> > Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2012 17:27:40 -0600
> >
> > Tom and all,
> > For reference purposes, Sid's photos are of a Purple Finch. The bird in
> > Sid's photos has a larger bill than would be expected on a House Finch,
> > lack of any streaking at all, brilliant red coloring all the way down
> > through the chest, flanks and belly, and, most importantly, has a brown
> > line through the eye which accentuates the red supercilium. I've found this
> > combination of field marks to be highly reliable when identifying Purple vs
> > House Finch.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Happy Birding! --Chris W, Richland County Interpretive Naturalist
> > Mississippi Explorer Cruises
> > http://mississippiexplorer.com/chris@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > http://swallowtailedkite.blogspot.com/
> > http://www.nabirding.com/http://www.flickr.com/photos/swallowtailphoto
> >
> > "The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived, though its
> > first material expression be destroyed; a vanished harmony may yet again
> > inspire the composer; but when the last individual of a race of living
> > things breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before
> > such a one can be again."
> >
> > (From William Beebe's "The Bird: Its Form and Function," 1906)
> >
> > > From: tcwood729@xxxxxxxxx
> > > To: Wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > Subject: [wisb] RFI:Finch ID
> > > Date: Thu, 1 Mar 2012 17:17:36 -0600
> > >
> > > Sidney Hamm's last post about the finch he photgraphed at Bong has me
> > > realizing I have a lot to learn about Finch ID.
> > > Because I live in the southern part of the state, I see very few Purple
> > > Finches during the year, and I'm usually looking up at them. Those of you
> > > who
> > > live in the northern tier of counties probably see them regularly at your
> > > feeders. Do any of the Purple Finches you see have as much brown on the
> > > crown and cheeks as the bird in Sidney's photo?
> > > The House Finches I see around here all have streaking on the underparts
> > > and
> > > this is a major field mark mentioned in the field guides. So, conversely,
> > > does anyone see House Finches with unstreaked underparts as seen on the
> > > photo?
> > > I find color to be the least useful ID mark with bird photos on my laptop.
> > > Depending on how I have the screen tilted I can make the bird look
> > > anywhere from the raspberry red of a Purple Finch to the brighter red of a
> > > House Finch. This is due to the characteristics of an LCD display.
> > > The bill looks large for a House Finch, but perhaps that is because
> > > Sidney's lens puts the bird right in our face. We can't see the tail notch
> > > which would help with the ID.
> > > Thanks in advance for any advice.
> > >
> > > Thomas Wood, Menomonee Falls, Waukesha County
> > >
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