Purple Finch; Linnet (Haemorhous purpureus) | Affiliated Manuscripts | Further Data

Occurrence in Amherst & Connecticut Valley, Mass.
C19

Common summer resident

March - November

C20

Technically a permanent resident, common in summer and sometimes abundant in migration, but highly irregular between early November and late March

January - December

C21

Arrives mid-March; southward movement begins in September and October; almost all birds have departed by February. —Mass Audubon

March - February

Habitat
coniferous and mixed forests, interiors and edges
Nest Materials
twigs, weeds, rootlets, strips of bark, fine grass, moss, animal hair
19th-20th Century Field Notes
PURPLE FINCH . LINNET . MALE : Rose - red ; brightest on crown ; dullest on back ; belly , whitish . FEMALE : Olivaceous - brown above ; white beneath ; everywhere , except on throat and breast , streaked with dusky - brown . Length , 6 – 6 1 - 4 inches . Common summer resident . Earliest arrival , March 8th ; departs in October or November . Raises 2 broods . Eggs 3 – 5 , greenish , spotted with blackish - brown . Nest of grass , twigs , hair , etc . , in a pine tree . Eggs laid in May and July . Feeds on buds , blossoms , leaves and seeds . Injurious . A very pleasing songster .

—H.L. Clark, 1887

21st Century Conservation Notes

Least concern*