Purple Finch AHY male 4-4-2011 Lincoln Co. KY.
For about twenty minutes on Sunday afternoon, I observed six Purple Finches at our feeders... then they were gone! I was lucky enough to take several photos of these beautiful finches during their visit. One of the most interesting photos was one of an after-hatch-year (AHY) male. I have never been able to study this plumage for very long until today. Notice the amount of second-year (SY) brown left over in this bird's plumage. It could easily be confused for a male House Finch, but notice the deeply notched tail, overall different shape and the long pointed wings.
Purple Finch AHY male 4-4-2011 Lincoln Co. KY.
For about twenty minutes on Sunday afternoon, I observed six Purple Finches at our feeders... then they were gone! I was lucky enough to take several photos of these beautiful finches during their visit. One of the most interesting photos was one of an after-hatch-year (AHY) male. I have never been able to study this plumage for very long until today. Notice the amount of second-year (SY) brown left over in this bird's plumage. It could easily be confused for a male House Finch, but notice the deeply notched tail, overall different shape and the long pointed wings.