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BirdsIn Ohio

Purple Finch

Haemorhous purpureus (J. F. Gmelin, 1789)

Purple Finch (Haemorhous purpureus)
(c) Tom Murray, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tom Murray · CC BY-NC 4.0 (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Fringillidae
Genus
Haemorhous

Conservation status

Of special interest in Ohio (Ohio Division of Wildlife, June 2026)

Ohio's Division of Wildlife names it as one at the edge of its range in Ohio, breeding here at low numbers. It is not listed as endangered or threatened.

We remember your county on this device only, until you clear it. Your ZIP code, city or location never leaves your device.

Range

Where it is recorded

Season shown in 0 of Ohio's 88 counties. Its mapped range covers 88. Explore Ohio

  • No result yet (0)
  • Within its mapped range (39)
  • Recorded, too few records for a result (45)
  • Recorded, season not shown (4)
  • Season shown (0)
Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files, 1:500,000. Range: USGS Gap Analysis Project, Species Range Maps CONUS_2001 (2018). Show as a table
Counties as a table
Purple Finch by Ohio county: records and mapped range
CountyRecordsIn mapped range
Adams CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Allen CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Ashland CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Ashtabula CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round
Athens CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Auglaize CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Belmont CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Brown CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Butler CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Carroll CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Champaign CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Clark CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Clermont CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Clinton CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Columbiana CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Coshocton CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Crawford CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Cuyahoga County46 · Recorded, season not shownYes: year-round, winter
Darke CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Defiance CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Delaware CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Erie CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Fairfield CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Fayette CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Franklin CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Fulton CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Gallia CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Geauga CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round
Greene CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Guernsey CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Hamilton CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Hancock CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Hardin CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Harrison CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Henry CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Highland CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Hocking CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Holmes CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Huron CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Jackson CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Jefferson CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Knox CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Lake CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round
Lawrence CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Licking CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Logan CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Lorain CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Lucas County22 · Recorded, season not shownYes: winter
Madison CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Mahoning CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: year-round, winter
Marion CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Medina CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Meigs CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Mercer CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Miami CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Monroe CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Montgomery CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Morgan CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Morrow CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Muskingum CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Noble CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Ottawa CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Paulding CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Perry CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Pickaway CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Pike CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Portage CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round, winter
Preble CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Putnam CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Richland CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Ross CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Sandusky CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Scioto CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Seneca CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Shelby CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Stark County33 · Recorded, season not shownYes: winter
Summit County22 · Recorded, season not shownYes: winter
Trumbull CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: year-round
Tuscarawas CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Union CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Van Wert CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Vinton CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Warren CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Washington CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Wayne CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Williams CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter
Wood CountyRecorded, too few records for a resultYes: winter
Wyandot CountyNo qualifying records yetYes: winter

Season

When it is recorded

In Ohio

Late September to late May, middle week Feb 15–21

Show over the bars
Recording in Ohio · records of all species each week, 1,691,199 in all

Records per week from 353 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.

Recorded on 280 dates. Latest record: December 2025.

Show as a table
Records of Purple Finch in Ohio each week, and records of all species
WeekRecords of Purple FinchYears recordedRecords of all species
Jan 4–10936,211
Jan 11–171455,146
Jan 18–241254,645
Jan 25–31444,698
Feb 1–7856,023
Feb 8–14845,888
Feb 15–211235,436
Feb 22–28536,846
Mar 1–7118,321
Mar 8–142110,384
Mar 15–212212,620
Mar 22–283313,949
Mar 29 – Apr 49619,661
Apr 5–117526,860
Apr 12–1828939,925
Apr 19–2524941,623
Apr 26 – May 222856,391
May 3–920652,952
May 10–1614653,785
May 17–237357,698
May 24–307454,651
May 31 – Jun 63353,099
Jun 7–131153,700
Jun 14–202156,625
Jun 21–271155,361
Jun 28 – Jul 42258,477
Jul 5–112261,336
Jul 12–184364,722
Jul 19–252269,753
Jul 26 – Aug 10059,416
Aug 2–82159,712
Aug 9–150055,994
Aug 16–220054,328
Aug 23–291151,772
Aug 30 – Sep 52157,167
Sep 6–122159,075
Sep 13–194354,543
Sep 20–263145,860
Sep 27 – Oct 36343,180
Oct 4–103337,841
Oct 11–1710430,824
Oct 18–248421,156
Oct 25–3124719,021
Nov 1–77514,172
Nov 8–146312,621
Nov 15–21227,965
Nov 22–28848,136
Nov 29 – Dec 51056,083
Dec 6–12426,004
Dec 13–19215,423
Dec 20–261055,661
Dec 27 – Jan 2448,459

What these results show

These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.

Relatives

In the same genus

Other Haemorhous recorded in Ohio

House FinchHaemorhous mexicanus

Identification

How to identify it

Telling it apart

From what Ohio’s records show. Only what the records support is shown.

Often confused with

  • House Finch Haemorhous mexicanusOften confused in Ohio: 46 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
  • Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia134 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Pine Siskin Spinus pinus74 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Rose-breasted Grosbeak Pheucticus ludovicianus53 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
  • Northern Cardinal Cardinalis cardinalis40 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant

From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.

Land cover where it is recorded

Land coverIts recordsAll Ohio records
Developed46%49%
Forest36%31%
Farmland12%11%
Wetland3%5%
Barren1%0.6%
Grassland and shrub1%0.9%
Open water0.6%3%

From 161 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Sources

Where these results come from

  • Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
  • Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
  • See it on iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)OpenPhenology is independent and not affiliated with iNaturalist.

Records behind the Ohio result

353 records from 2 datasets.

To cite: the GBIF download doi:10.15468/dl.y2jkt8 (opens in a new tab).

A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.