In New Hampshire, you will see a mixture of landscapes including lakes, woodland, coastal areas, and mountains. It has an abundance of bird species and wildlife.
This state has an official state animal and state bird. The official state animal of New Hampshire is the White Tail Deer but what about the state bird.
The state bird of New Hampshire is the Purple Finch which got this status in 1957. And In this article, I’ll explain all the facts related to this bird.
Why the New Hampshire choose the Purple Finch as their state bird?
The purple finches were named the state bird of New Hampshire and the nature groups including the State Federation of Women’s Clubs, the Audubon Society of New Hampshire, and the New Hampshire Federation of Garden Clubs joined and supported this bird.
These nature groups supported the finches and fought against the legislators who favored the blue jay or crow.
When did the Purple Finch become the state bird for New Hampshire?
On April 25, 1957, the New Hampshire legislature adopted the purple finch as their state bird.
The purple finches won the legislative fight against crow or blue jay. The purple finches managed the greater support and this bird is not shared with any other state.
What do the Purple Finches look like?
The purple finches don’t have purple bodies or feathers. The feathers of these birds are of red and pink hues.
The male finches have a head and breast of light pink with red while the female birds do not have a red color. The back feathers of these birds are brown along with white stomachs.
However, some members of these species do have purple feathers that grow on wings. The length of the purple finches is about 4.7 to 6.3 inches in length and it is the same for both genders.
The weight of these birds ranges from 0.60 to 1.1 ounces while the wingspan of these birds is 8.7 to 10.2 inches.
How do these birds behave?
During the breeding season, these birds become extremely territorial and they spend their time either alone or in pairs. The male bird sings almost constantly until he makes a couple.
The call of these birds sounds like tek or pik. These birds compete for territory with the house finch.
It is so because, these finches prefer orchards, parklands, and evergreen forests. They mostly lose the territory to house finches.
Do Purple Finches form communities?
The purple finches stay with other birds only in the winter season. In this season, having a flock helps them to improve the food location and predator protection.
When the spring season arrives, these birds return to territorial existence and become solitary. They choose their mate in this season and make a family.
They build their nest and then breed to have chicks. The male finches try their best to attract an appropriate female. He performs for the female and communicates that he wants to couple up.
The mating dance comprised of hopping, tail cocking, and puffing is a part of male performance.
This bird can hop six to 12 inches while singing. When the female bird gets ready for mating, she accepts the proposal and the male bird starts bringing nest material.
She ultimately chooses the majority of the materials and starts constructing the nest. The nest of these birds takes on a shallow cup shape and they use materials like twigs, string, rootlets, and grass to form the nest.
After which, the female brings soft materials for lining the nest. These soft materials include horsehair, animal fur, moss, and rootlets.
The female bird chooses a conifer tree for nesting. When it comes to the eggs, the female purple finches lay three to six eggs which are of light blue-green color with dark marks.
The female bird incubates the eggs while the male bird brings food for her. The incubation period of the eggs of these birds is of 13 days, during which the male bird guards the nest and provides food to the female.
Once the eggs get hatched, the male bird increases the food as he feeds the babies as well. The babies cannot leave the nest for at least 14 days.
Generally, these birds can have one or two broods per season. The family of purple finches can live up to three or four years on an average in the wild.
What do Purple Finches eat?
Purple finches prefer their favorite food including black oil sunflower seeds, thistle seeds, and white millet.
For attracting these birds to your yard, you can put a bird feeder with these products in the trays. Generally, these birds forage on the ground during the summer season.
The summer diet of purple finches includes insects such as caterpillars and beetles. While in the winter season, they prefer tree seeds only including elm trees and ash trees.
Their diet also includes weed seeds, grass seeds, berries, tree buds, and small fruits.
Conclusion
The purple finch is the state bird of New Hampshire which got this status in 1957. These male finches have a striking mixture of reds and pinks whereas females are brown and look more like sparrows.
These birds do migrate during the winter season and they fly to the south. At last, I hope this article might have helped you in some ways. Thank You For Reading!
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