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New Hampshire State Bird
Purple Finch
- Official New Hampshire State Bird: Purple Finch
- Family: Fringillidae, Finches
- Scientific name: Carpodacus purpureus
- Length: 6" (15 cm)
- Diet: Primarily seeds, insects, fruit some tree buds and
blossoms from winter to early spring. Adds insects in spring, feeds
heavily on fruit in summer. Young fed mostly seeds.
- Voice:
Listen to
Purple Finch song and calls
(recorded by Cornell Lab of Ornithology)
Song a slightly hoarse, warbled plidi tididi
preete plidi tititi preeer; bright, lively, and clearly structured
with accented ending; generally ends with strongly descending trill
cheeeer; overall trend rising. Call a short, whistled phrase
like vireo song tweeyoo. Flight call a light, hard pik
with musical overtones.
- Habitat: Found in coniferous or mixed woodland
borders, suburbs, parks, orchards.
- Displays: Courting male hops about dangling wings and
puffing out chest. With wings vibrating rapidly and tail cocked, male
softly vocalizes and may rise 6-12" off the ground, occasionally while
holding nest material in beak and singing.
- Number of broods: 1
- Nest: In coniferous or deciduous tree, 6-40'
above ground, on horizontal branch, far from trunk. Neat shallow cup
of twigs, fine roots, grass, lined with rootlets, hair, moss.
- Eggs: Averages 4-5 pale greenish-blue eggs,
marked with browns, blacks. 0.8" (20 mm).
- Incubation period: 13 days
- Fledge: 14 days after hatching
- Longevity Record: 11 Years and 9 months (according to USGS
Bird Banding Lab)
The Purple Finch was adopted in 1957 as the New Hampshire State Bird by the
State Legislature changing the Official State Bird from the New Hampshire Hen to a native wild bird.
Today, only Delaware, Rhode Island, and South Dakota still have non-native birds as the
official State Birds.
Go to
Delaware State Bird (Blue Hen).
Go to Rhode Island
State Bird (Rhode Island Red Hen).
Go to
South Dakota State Bird (Ring-necked Pheasant).
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Hampshire State Bird Books
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