IBRC #77-B-10

Idaho Bird Records Committee
Rarities Report Form

Species: Purple Finch

Reporter: Jay Carlisle

4202 Whitehead St., Boise, ID 83703 jaycarlisle@boisestate.edu

Other Observers: none

Date Report Prepared: 10-10-10

Date Sighting Occurred: 9-21-10

Locality of Observation: Lucky Peak, Boise Foothills, Ada Co.

Habitat: patchy mosaic of shrubsteppe, mountain deciduous shrubland, and conifer forest

Conditions: clear, calm, and cool

Did you take notes? not at all

Did you consult a field guide or other reference work? no

What guide(s) or reference(s) did you consult?

Description: This was an auditory detection only as I was under some shrubs and could not see past the shrubs to the bird. While opening our songbird mist-nets at sunrise, I heard the bird calling (a dry ‘pit, pit-pit’) as a flock of Cassin’s Finches took off (also calling). I heard the call several times over the course of 10 seconds as the flock moved north but it was always at least slightly obscured by the calls of Cassin’s Finches, American Robins, and Townsend’s Solitaires that were all taking flight simultaneously.

How and when did you positively identify the bird, and what clinched the identification for you? Right away due to the diagnostic flight calls. I was somewhat hesitant due to the fact that I never heard the calls without the calls of many other birds in the background. But, there was nothing else it could have been.

How did you eliminate similar species, and what were they? The only truly similar species is the Cassin’s Finch – a regularly-occurring species at Lucky Peak. There are several subtle ways in which Purple Finch differs from Cassin’s Finch in terms of appearance (including a slightly shorter and more curved culmen, usually lacking streaks on the undertail coverts, and the supercilium and submoustachial stripes are usually more distinct in Purple Finch) but I did not observe the bird visually to assess these features. However, while the two species have some similar call notes, the flight call of the Purple Finch (described above) is diagnostic.

Experience with this species (and similar species): I have observed hundreds of Purple Finches in many states, including CT, SD, WA, OR, and CA – including hearing call notes on many occasions. This was my 2nd observation in Idaho. I have also observed hundreds of Cassin’s Finches in many western states, especially ID and CA – including annually in good numbers at Lucky Peak (breeders & migrants) and Camas NWR (migrants).

General birding experience: extensive; 14+ years in US and Latin America

Were photo(s), video, and/or audio obtained by you? (If yes, please include or attach) No.