Purple Finchs in Nova Scotia

Purple Finchs live in Nova Scotia all year. Damp cold and wind chill; sheltered feeding stations and suet help small birds through storms. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward tree seeds (ash, elm, tulip poplar); black-oil sunflower at feeders.

Maritime — cool summers, snowy but ocean-moderated winters, fog and wind along the coast.

Across Nova Scotia, purple finches typically nest from May–July. Nest site: cup nest in conifers, usually well out on a branch. Females lay 2–7 eggs, incubate for 13 days, and young leave the nest after 13–14 days.

Cool summers delay nesting compared with inland regions at similar latitude.

• Purple Finchs don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as serviceberry, red-osier dogwood, highbush cranberry for nest sites.
• Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after July.

Of the regional native plants we track for Nova Scotia, these 8 provide food or cover purple finches use:

Purple finches are irregular winter visitors south of their breeding range — numbers swing year to year with northern cone and seed crops.

• Best foods: Black-oil sunflower, Hulled sunflower, Nyjer.
• In Nova Scotia's winter: Damp cold and wind chill; sheltered feeding stations and suet help small birds through storms.

Full diet breakdown for purple finches · Best feeder for purple finches