Purple Finch

Upperparts of male are raspberry red, with brown wings, tail, and streaks on back. The tail is strongly notched at the tip. Underparts are raspberry red, mixed with white, with little or no brown streaking on the breast and sides. The belly and under tail feathers are white. Female upperparts are heavily streaked with brown, with a broad whitish eyebrow and moustachial streak. Underparts are streaked brown, with a heavy dark streak along the side of the throat. Under tail feathers are white and unstreaked. The song is an energetic, bubbly warble. The call is a soft “pick.”

Similar species: The house finch is a common permanent resident, so in Missouri, if you see a reddish finch between May and September, it is probably a house finch. Male house finches usually lack any purplish cast, and both sexes lack a light eyebrow line and have a square or only slightly notched tail. The call is a rising, two-note “tooit.”