On Wed, Mar 17, 2004 at 10:50:02PM -0800, Martyn Stewart wrote:
> Michael you said
> <Purple Finch 1 seen, maybe heard more>
>
> That is a brave thing to say and I trust your judgment, identifying the
> sound of a purple finch! I had to see the bird while recording it to make
> sure I positively identified it as a purple finch call because as you know,
> the purple finch is so similar to the house finch call, sometimes I have had
> to make a sonogram of the sound to see the slight difference in pitch, it is
> not always evident to the human ear. Incidentally, I have posted the two
> sounds for your information; ironically, the purple finch recording was made
> at Marymoor Park, April, 2001
>
> Purple finch call
> http://www.naturesound.org/Sound%20Files/Purple%20Finch.mp3
>
>
> House finch call
> http://www.naturesound.org/Sound%20Files/House%20Finch.mp3

I tried to listen to your posted links but they stopped loading partway
through. Perhaps heavy load on your webserver?

I would dispute that the House and Purple Finch calls are close. In fact,
call notes are the best way to distinguish these species in flight, the
flat "pit" of the Purple Finch being very different from the finchy, rising
"chwEEE" type and other more House Sparrow-like call notes of a House Finch.

If by call you mean song, then yes, they are closer but still separable.
The western form of the Purple Finch's song is an energetic (despite what
Sibley says), rapid, structured jumble of notes versus the equally energetic
but less rapidly delivered and more loosely structured song of the House Finch.
The loudest and strongest notes of a Purple Finch song are usually near the
beginning or middle whereas those of the House Finch are often at the end.

--
Jack Bowling
mailto: jbinpg at shaw.ca