Female Rose-breasted Grosbeak and female Purple Finch
The female Purple Finch is frequently mistaken for the female Rose-breasted Grosbeak. Far less colorful than the males, these females are very difficult to distinguish from each other. The Rose-breasted Grosbeak winters just south of the U.S. in Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. Although it rarely comes to feeders in most of the U.S. and Canada in winter, sometimes individuals do show up. The Purple Finch, on the other hand, winters along the Pacific and throughout the Eastern U.S. and Southeastern Canada, making it a much more common feeder visitor.
Further complicating identification, two finches can be challenging to distinguish from the Purple Finch: the House Finch, whose female lacks the bold white eye stripe, and the Cassin’s Finch, which usually is only found in western mountains. Those three species are covered on a separate Tricky ID page.
Field Marks

Click on a row to expand
Field Mark | Purple Finch | Rose-breasted Grosbeak |
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Overall | The female Purple Finch is a relatively small, brown, streaky bird (4.5-6.5 in, 12-16 cm) with a gray bill and a white head-stripe. | The Rose-breasted Grosbeak is a large, brown, streaky bird (7-8 in, 18-21 cm) with a large pinkish bill and a bold white eye stripe. |
![]() Purple Finch by Chris Wood, Rose-breasted Grosbeak by M.L. Milne
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Head and bill | Conical, gray bill and white head-stripe that extends from nape to top of eye | Large, pinkish bill and bold, white stripe above eye that extends from back of head to bill |
![]() Purple Finch and Rose-breasted Grosbeak by Bob Vuxinic
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Streaking | Thick streaks on chest, sides, flanks, and lower belly | Thin streaks on chest, sides, and flanks that fade to a mostly white lower belly |
![]() Purple Finch by Bob Vuxinic, Rose-breasted Grosbeak by M.L. Milne
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Wingbars | Nondescript wingbars-like markings | Two white wingbars |
![]() Purple Finch by Chris Wood and Rose-breasted Grosbeak by Bob Vuxinic
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Learn More
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website contains detailed species accounts and cool facts, as well as photographs and paintings from a variety of sources. Learn more about the Purple Finch and the “>Rose-breasted Grosbeaks in the site’s online guide pages.
Sounds
Purple Finch
Song (Western)
© Geoffrey A. Keller | Macaulay Library
Calls (Western)
© Geoffrey A. Keller | Macaulay Library
Flight calls (Western)
© Geoffrey A. Keller | Macaulay Library
Song (Eastern)
© Arthur A. Allen | Macaulay Library
Song (Eastern)
© Peter Paul Kellogg | Macaulay Library
Calls (Eastern)
© Peter Paul Kellogg | Macaulay Library
Flight calls (Eastern)
© Robert C. Stein | Macaulay Library
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Song
© Steven R. Pantle | Macaulay Library
Calls
© Gregory Budney | Macaulay Library
Flight calls
© Michael O'Brien
Range
Purple Finch

Rose-breasted Grosbeak
