You may also have noted that the bills of both the House Finch and Purple Finch are rather large and conical shaped, similar to a Grosbeak bill. You can see a similar dark cheek pattern in the male above.
#ROSE FINCH PATCH#
She has a dark cheek patch with a bordering pale eyebrow. The female does however have some distinguishing marks. This bird doesn’t have a neck like the House Finch does.
First, note the lack of breast and flank streaking and the plump, less contoured body.
The female House Finch has a noticeably plain face, also with the blurry streaks on the breast and flanks. Note the broad, blurry dark streaks on the lower breast and flanks which are absent in the Purple Finch and pretty much so in the Cassin’s Finch. There are subtle differences between the Cassin’s Finch and its close relative, the Purple Finch ( Carpodacus purpureus) and more obvious differences between these two species and the other American Rosefinch, the ubiquitous House Finch ( Carpodacus mexicanus).įirst, let’s look at the male House Finch. I may have seen these birds in my own yard and not even have known it! After spotting the Cassin’s Finch ( Carpodacus cassinii) pair above a couple of weeks ago at Lassen Volcanic National Park, I thought I had a new lifer! Now I’m not so sure.