Diet
What do purple finches eat?
Seeds, buds, blossoms and fruit, with some insects in summer.
Finches (Fringillidae)Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus
Spring and summer diet
- Tree buds and blossoms
- Seeds, berries and some insects
Fall and winter diet
- Tree seeds (ash, elm, tulip poplar)
- Black-oil sunflower at feeders
Best feeder foods
- Black-oil sunflower
- Hulled sunflower
- Nyjer
Purple finches are irregular winter visitors south of their breeding range — numbers swing year to year with northern cone and seed crops.
Where purple finches need winter food
Regions where purple finches are present in the cold months:
AlabamaAlbertaArkansasBritish ColumbiaCaliforniaConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineManitobaMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriNebraskaNew BrunswickNew HampshireNew JerseyNew YorkNewfoundland and LabradorNorth CarolinaNova ScotiaOhioOklahomaOntarioOregonPennsylvaniaPrince Edward IslandQuebecRhode IslandSaskatchewanSouth CarolinaTennesseeTexasVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsin
Frequently asked
What do purple finches eat?
Seeds, buds, blossoms and fruit, with some insects in summer.
What is the best food to feed purple finches?
Black-oil sunflower, Hulled sunflower, Nyjer.
What do purple finches eat in winter?
Tree seeds (ash, elm, tulip poplar); Black-oil sunflower at feeders.
Sources
- Purple Finch — All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Purple Finch life history — Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Purple Finch — Audubon Guide to North American Birds
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.