Bird

Purple Finch

Carpodacus purpureus

A winter visitor to Alabama, found in all 67 counties and 20 habitats.

Here: Winter
Nesting: Not known to nest here
Range: All 67 counties
Habitats: 20

Male Purple Finch, whole bird — **Male**. (c) Bill Keim, some rights reserved (CC BY). CC BY. iNaturalist photo 620580860. iNaturalist large derivative; no local crop or retouch.

At a glance

Group: Birds
Here: Winter
Nesting: Not known to nest here
Range: All 67 counties
Habitats: 20
Habitat models: Summer, Winter

Where it lives

The places its habitat model includes. It is not found everywhere a habitat occurs.

Habitats in Alabama 20

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 20

WinterSouthern Coastal Plain Oak Dome and Hammock; Southern Coastal Plain Hydric HammockWinslow Homer, In the Jungle, Florida (1904): cabbage palms, saw palmetto and fallen trunks in a dense, shady hammock, with a wildcat in the branches. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Florida (Winslow Homer, In the Jungle, Florida, 1904), a neighboring state.In the Jungle, Florida, Winslow Homer, 1904. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterSouthern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Loblolly Pine Modifier; East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest - Offsite Pine ModifierNamed place / source context. Shown: Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia, a neighboring state.Trail on Little Kennesaw Mountain., Unidentified in HFC record, undated. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterSouthern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Nupea Modifier; Central Interior and Appalachian Shrub-Herbaceous Wetland SystemsMartin Johnson Heade, The Great Florida Marsh (1886): open marsh and lily-dotted water beneath live oaks and cabbage palms. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Florida (Heade, The Great Florida Marsh, 1886; North Carolina Museum of Art), a neighboring state.The Great Florida Marsh, Martin Johnson Heade, 1886. Public domain. Source record.

WinterEast Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Open Understory Modifier; East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier; East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine FlatwoodsGeorge Inness, Georgia Pines (1890): tall, straight pines over an open, grassy floor in a south Georgia pine woods. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Georgia pine woods (George Inness, 1890; site not named), a neighboring state.Georgia Pines, George Inness (1825-1894), 1890. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterCentral Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems; Cumberland Riverscour; South-Central Interior Small Stream and RiparianWinslow Homer, Blue Spring, Florida (1890): clear blue spring water under overhanging palms. Shown: Blue Spring, Florida (Winslow Homer, 1890; National Gallery of Art), a neighboring state.Blue Spring, Florida, Winslow Homer, 1890. Public domain. Source record.

SummerWinterSouthern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Taxodium Modifier; Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Bay/Gum Modifier; Southern Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall; East Gulf Coastal Plain Tidal Wooded Swamp; Central Interior and Appalachian Swamp Systems; Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp; Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Cypress Dome; Southern Piedmont/Ridge and Valley Upland Depression SwampFlorida, Sunset on the Ocklawaha (1899): a dark swamp-lined river at sunset, with cypress and hardwoods crowding both banks. Shown: Ocklawaha River, Florida, a neighboring state.Florida, Sunset on the Ocklawaha, Detroit Photographic Co. (chromolithograph), 1899. Public domain. Source record.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

SummerWinterEast Gulf Coastal Plain Limestone Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Dry Upland Hardwood Forest; Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Hardwood; Southern Coastal Plain Dry Upland Hardwood Forest; Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Hardwood Modifier; Southeastern Interior Longleaf Pine Woodland; Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest; Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest; Southern Appalachian Low Mountain Pine Forest

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

SummerWinterEast Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier; South-Central Interior Large Floodplain - Forest Modifier; Southern Piedmont Large Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier; Central Interior and Appalachian Floodplain Systems; Central Interior and Appalachian Riparian Systems; Southern Piedmont Small Floodplain and Riparian Forest; South-Central Interior Small Stream and Riparian; East Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Floodplain Forest; Southern Coastal Plain Blackwater River Floodplain Forest; South-Central Interior Large Floodplain

Forest edges and thickets

Borders of forests, clearings and shrubby thickets.

SummerWinterDisturbed/Successional - Shrub Regeneration; Harvested Forest - Shrub Regeneration

Glades, barrens and outcrops on limestone

Open, thin-soil openings and rock on limestone, dolomite or other lime-rich rock, including cedar glades.

SummerWinterRidge and Valley Calcareous Valley Bottom Glade and Woodland; Central Interior Highlands Calcareous Glade and Barrens

Granite and other acidic rock outcrops

Bare or thin-soil rock on granite, gneiss, sandstone, quartzite and similar acidic rock, including granite flatrocks and domes.

SummerWinterCumberland Sandstone Glade and Barrens

Hardwood and oak flatwoods

Flat, poorly drained uplands and terraces with oaks, sweetgum and sometimes loblolly pine, wet in winter and dry in summer, but neither a floodplain nor a swamp.

WinterEast Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Plain Dry Flatwoods - Open Understory Modifier; East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loblolly-Hardwood Flatwoods; South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Wet Flatwoods

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

WinterEast Gulf Coastal Plain Maritime Forest

Moderately dry forests

Forests between dry and moist, often oak-hickory on slopes.

WinterEast Gulf Coastal Plain Limestone Forest; Southern Interior Low Plateau Dry-Mesic Oak Forest

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

WinterSouthern Piedmont Mesic Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Mesic Hardwood Forest; East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Mesic Slope Forest; South-Central Interior Mesophytic Forest

Prairies and grasslands

Open, grass-dominated places kept open by fire, grazing or thin soil, from tallgrass prairie to Piedmont prairies.

WinterEast Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Herbaceous Modifier; East Gulf Coastal Plain Jackson Prairie and Woodland

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

SummerWinterDeveloped, Open Space; Cultivated Cropland; Pasture/Hay; Disturbed/Successional - Grass/Forb Regeneration; Utility Swath - Herbaceous; Ruderal Upland - Old Field

Seeps and springs

Places where groundwater keeps the soil or rock wet, such as seepage slopes and spring runs.

WinterSouthern Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall

Tree plantations and managed pine

Planted or intensively managed stands of pine or hardwoods grown for timber; a land use rather than a natural community.

SummerWinterDeciduous Plantation; Evergreen Plantation or Managed Pine; Managed Tree Plantation

Wet meadows

Open, wet, grassy or sedgy ground that is not a bog.

SummerWinterCentral Interior and Appalachian Shrub-Herbaceous Wetland Systems

Other habitats in its models (144)

Land cover, or classes with no habitat page in Alabama. Those recorded in Alabama first, the rest by region.

In Alabama 1

Southern Piedmont Glade and Barrens Winter.

Elsewhere in the South (69)

Appalachian Shale Barrens Summer and winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Brownwater Stream Floodplain Forest Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Central Maritime Forest Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Dry and Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood and Mixed Forest Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Peatland Pocosin Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Blackwater River Floodplain Forest Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Small Brownwater River Floodplain Forest Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Dune and Maritime Grassland Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Maritime Forest Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Tidal Wooded Swamp Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Southern Wet Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland Winter.
Central and South Texas Coastal Fringe Forest and Woodland Winter.
Central and Southern Appalachian Montane Oak Forest Summer and winter.
Central and Southern Appalachian Northern Hardwood Forest Summer and winter.
Central and Southern Appalachian Spruce-Fir Forest Summer and winter.
Central Atlantic Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Winter.
Central Florida Pine Flatwoods Winter.
Central Interior Highlands Dry Acidic Glade and Barrens Summer and winter.
Crosstimbers Oak Forest and Woodland Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Bluff Forest Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Loess Bluff Forest Winter.
East-Central Texas Plains Pine Forest and Woodland Winter.
East-Central Texas Plains Post Oak Savanna and Woodland Winter.
East-Central Texas Plains Riparian Forest Winter.
Edwards Plateau Limestone Savanna and Woodland Winter.
Lower Mississippi River Dune Woodland and Forest Winter.
Lower Mississippi River Flatwoods Winter.
Mississippi Delta Maritime Forest Winter.
Mississippi River Alluvial Plain Dry-Mesic Loess Slope Forest Winter.
Mississippi River Bottomland Depression Winter.
Mississippi River Low Floodplain (Bottomland) Forest Winter.
Mississippi River Riparian Forest Winter.
Nashville Basin Limestone Glade Summer and winter.
Northern Crowley's Ridge Sand Forest Winter.
Ouachita Montane Oak Forest Winter.
Ozark-Ouachita Dry Oak Woodland Winter.
Ozark-Ouachita Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Winter.
Ozark-Ouachita Mesic Hardwood Forest Winter.
Ozark-Ouachita Riparian Winter.
Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Bluestem Woodland Winter.
Ozark-Ouachita Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest and Woodland Winter.
Red River Large Floodplain Forest Winter.
South-Central Interior / Upper Coastal Plain Flatwoods Winter.
Southeastern Great Plains Tallgrass Prairie Winter.
Southern and Central Appalachian Bog and Fen Summer and winter.
Southern and Central Appalachian Cove Forest Winter.
Southern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest Summer and winter.
Southern Appalachian Grass and Shrub Bald Summer and winter.
Southern Appalachian Montane Pine Forest and Woodland Summer and winter.
Southern Blackland Tallgrass Prairie Winter.
Southern Crowley's Ridge Mesic Loess Slope Forest Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Catahoula Barrens Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Chenier and Upper Texas Coastal Fringe Forest and Woodland Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Large River Floodplain Forest Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Mesic Hardwood Forest Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Large River Swamp Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Nepheline Syenite Glade Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Nonriverine Wet Hardwood Flatwoods Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Calcareous Prairie Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Flatwoods Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Pine-Hardwood Forest Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Sandhill Oak and Shortleaf Pine Forest and Woodland Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Small Stream and River Forest Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Southern Calcareous Prairie Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Upland Longleaf Pine Forest and Woodland Winter.
West Gulf Coastal Plain Wet Longleaf Pine Savanna and Flatwoods Winter.

Northeast (10)

Acadian Low-Elevation Spruce-Fir-Hardwood Forest Summer and winter.
Appalachian Hemlock-Hardwood Forest Summer and winter.
Central Appalachian Alkaline Glade and Woodland Summer and winter.
Central Appalachian Oak and Pine Forest Summer and winter.
Central Appalachian Pine-Oak Rocky Woodland Summer and winter.
North-Central Interior Wet Flatwoods Winter.
Northeastern Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest Winter.
Northeastern Interior Pine Barrens Winter.
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Basin Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest Winter.
Northern Atlantic Coastal Plain Dry Hardwood Forest Winter.

Midwest (10)

Central Mixedgrass Prairie Summer and winter.
Central Tallgrass Prairie Winter.
North-Central Interior Beech-Maple Forest Winter.
North-Central Interior Dry Oak Forest and Woodland Winter.
North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland Winter.
North-Central Interior Maple-Basswood Forest Winter.
North-Central Interior Oak Savanna Summer and winter.
North-Central Interior Sand and Gravel Tallgrass Prairie Winter.
North-Central Oak Barrens Summer and winter.
Western Great Plains Wooded Draw and Ravine Winter.

Land cover and other classes (54)

Allegheny-Cumberland Dry Oak Forest and Woodland - Pine Modifier Summer and winter.
Arkansas Valley Prairie and Woodland Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Blackwater Stream Floodplain Forest - Forest Modifier Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Clay-Based Carolina Bay Forested Wetland Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-Line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Fall-line Sandhills Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Oak Dominated Modifier Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Nonriverine Swamp and Wet Hardwood Forest - Taxodium/Nyssa Modifier Winter.
Atlantic Coastal Plain Streamhead Seepage Swamp - Pocosin - and Baygall Winter.
Central Appalachian Riparian - Forest Modifier Summer and winter.
Developed, High Intensity Summer and winter.
Developed, Low Intensity Summer and winter.
Developed, Medium Intensity Summer and winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Black Belt Calcareous Prairie and Woodland - Woodland Modifier Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest - Hardwood Modifier Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Shortleaf Pine-Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Loblolly Modifier Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Interior Upland Longleaf Pine Woodland - Scrub/Shrub Modifier Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Near-Coast Pine Flatwoods - Offsite Hardwood Modifier Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Hardwood Modifier Winter.
East Gulf Coastal Plain Northern Loess Plain Oak-Hickory Upland - Juniper Modifier Winter.
Eastern Great Plains Floodplain Systems Winter.
Eastern Great Plains Wet Meadow, Prairie, and Marsh Summer and winter.
Eastern Highland Rim Prairie and Barrens - Dry Modifier Winter.
Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Open Understory Modifier Winter.
Florida Longleaf Pine Sandhill - Scrub/Shrub Understory Modifier Winter.
Harvested Forest - Grass/Forb Regeneration Winter.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Annual Grassland Winter.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Forbland Winter.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Perennial Grassland Winter.
Introduced Upland Vegetation - Treed Summer and winter.
Lower Mississippi River Bottomland Depressions - Forest Modifier Winter.
Mississippi River Floodplain and Riparian Forest Winter.
Modified/Managed Southern Tall Grassland Winter.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Mixed Modifier Winter.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest - Virginia/Pitch Pine Modifier Summer and winter.
Northeastern Interior Dry Oak Forest-Hardwood Modifier Winter.
Recently Burned Grassland Winter.
Recently Burned Shrubland Summer and winter.
Southern and Central Appalachian Oak Forest - Xeric Summer and winter.
Southern Appalachian Grass and Shrub Bald - Herbaceous Modifier Summer and winter.
Southern Appalachian Grass and Shrub Bald - Shrub Modifier Summer and winter.
Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Clethra Modifier Winter.
Southern Coastal Plain Nonriverine Basin Swamp - Okefenokee Pine Modifier Winter.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-(Pine) Forest - Mixed Modifier Winter.
Southern Piedmont Dry Oak-Heath Forest - Mixed Modifier Winter.
Southern Ridge and Valley Dry Calcareous Forest - Pine modifier Summer and winter.
Tamaulipan Riparian Systems Winter.
Texas-Louisiana Coastal Prairie Slough Winter.
Western Great Plains Floodplain Systems Winter.

All habitats

Seasons in Alabama

Winter: does not nest here, in all 67 counties.

Also found in its main habitats

Its main habitats in Alabama, by how much of its habitat model each one is, with the birds most characteristic of each and the plants that grow wild there. Shared habitat, not food.

Purple Finch uses many habitats in Alabama; these are its 3 most characteristic.