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
Desert finch Desert finch The desert finch ("Rhodospiza obsoleta"), sometimes called Lichtenstein's desert finch, is a large brown true finch found in southern Eurasia. Its taxonomy is confused, and it has formerly been placed in "Fringilla", "Bucanetes", "Carduelis" and "Rhodopechys". It has an average wingspan of . It has a stout black bill, black and white remiges and rectrices, and a slash of rosy-pink on each wing. The female is more dull in color than the male, but other than that the adult sexes are similar in color pattern. The bird is indeed a desert resident in areas where water is readily