Purple finch There are two subspecies of the purple finch, "H. p. purpureus" and "H. p. californicus". "H. p. californicus" was identified by Spencer F. Baird in 1858. It differs from the nominate subspecies in that it has a longer tail and shorter wings. The plumage of both males and females is darker, and the coloration of the females is more greenish. The bill of "C. p. californicus" is also longer than that of the nominate subspecies. Adults have a short forked brown tail and brown wings and are about in length and weigh . Adult males are raspberry red on the
Purple finch Purple finch The purple finch ("Haemorhous purpureus") is a bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. This species and the other "American rosefinches" were formerly included with the rosefinches of Eurasia in the genus "Carpodacus"; however, the three North American species are not closely related to the rosefinches of the Old World, and have thus been moved to the genus "Haemorhous" by most taxonomic authorities. It is included in the finch family, Fringillidae, which is made up of passerine birds found in the northern hemisphere, Africa, and South America. The purple finch was originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1789.