Purple Finch

Taxonomy

The Purple Finch is one of 24 birds in the genus Carpodacus and is included in the finch family, Fringillidae, which is made up of passerine birds found in northern hemisphere and Africa.[1] The Purple Finch was originally described by Johann Friedrich Gmelin in 1789.

There are two subspecies of the Purple Finch, C. p. purpureus and C. p. californicus. C. p. californicus was identified by Spencer F. Baird in 1858.[1] It differs from the nominate subspecies in that it has a longer tail and shorter wing. The plumage of both males and females are darker, and the coloration of the females is more greenish.[2] The bill of C. p. californicus is also longer than that of the nominate subspecies.