WhenToBird

Haemorhous purpureus · Fringillidae

When Do Purple Finches Arrive in Minnesota?

Adult Purple Finch
Photo: Dani Alba, CC BY 4.0 via iNaturalist

The Purple Finch is in Minnesota all year. It turns up on about 5.8% of checklists at its peak (mid October) and on 2.7% in its quietest week (the second week of June).

When to look

PresentAll year
Peak weekOct 15-21mid October
Quietest weekJun 8-14the second week of June

Best: mid October. Here all year. Peak: on about 5.8% of Minnesota checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maypeak season
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Seppeak season
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

Darker months: more checklists report it. Outlined: peak month.

0%2%4%6%Jan 1-7: 3.8% of 20628 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.6% of 14594 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.9% of 14238 checklistsJan 22-31: 5.2% of 20725 checklistsFeb 1-7: 5.2% of 14484 checklistsFeb 8-14: 5.3% of 15988 checklistsFeb 15-21: 4.9% of 20718 checklistsFeb 22-28: 4.0% of 15754 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.4% of 16125 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.9% of 19035 checklistsMar 15-21: 3.1% of 19586 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.4% of 30192 checklistsApr 1-7: 4.0% of 24262 checklistsApr 8-14: 4.8% of 30223 checklistsApr 15-21: 5.5% of 29085 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.2% of 43574 checklistsMay 1-7: 4.3% of 39300 checklistsMay 8-14: 4.2% of 45927 checklistsMay 15-21: 3.6% of 36632 checklistsMay 22-31: 3.0% of 43809 checklistsJun 1-7: 2.6% of 23418 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.7% of 20450 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.9% of 19470 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.4% of 23418 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.6% of 19104 checklistsJul 8-14: 2.6% of 16927 checklistsJul 15-21: 2.7% of 15635 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.8% of 22073 checklistsAug 1-7: 3.3% of 16255 checklistsAug 8-14: 3.4% of 16840 checklistsAug 15-21: 3.3% of 17475 checklistsAug 22-31: 3.6% of 26545 checklistsSep 1-7: 3.8% of 20750 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.8% of 18494 checklistsSep 15-21: 4.0% of 18215 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.5% of 24463 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.4% of 18252 checklistsOct 8-14: 5.6% of 19527 checklistsOct 15-21: 6.0% of 17098 checklistsOct 22-31: 5.8% of 24570 checklistsNov 1-7: 4.5% of 16744 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.1% of 13483 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.6% of 12525 checklistsNov 22-30: 3.2% of 17023 checklistsDec 1-7: 2.7% of 11645 checklistsDec 8-14: 2.7% of 11567 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.1% of 13343 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.6% of 19759 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Share of complete checklists reporting it, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

Frequency is the share of complete checklists in Minnesota that listed the bird, 2016–2025. It is not a head count, and it follows where and when people go birding. How to read it.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
today
Second week of November

Each county is shaded by the share of complete checklists there that listed the bird, blended with the weeks either side. Darker is more often. It follows where people watch birds, not how many birds there are. How to read it.

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Where in Minnesota

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Red Lake CountyBest mid October · 11 checklists that week, 1,028 in all40%
  2. Wabasha CountyBest the second week of February · 116 checklists that week, 6,548 in all35%
  3. Renville CountyBest mid January · 11 checklists that week, 2,020 in all33%
  4. Redwood CountyBest late December · 24 checklists that week, 1,193 in all32%
  5. Aitkin CountyBest early May · 162 checklists that week, 4,943 in all30%
  6. Lake CountyBest early May · 466 checklists that week, 19,908 in all30%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Kabekona LakeHubbard County, best late August · 32 checklists that week, 1,402 in all64%
  2. Stony PointSt. Louis County, best the second week of August · 51 checklists that week, 1,825 in all55%
  3. Gables LakeWashington County, best late October · 24 checklists that week, 1,181 in all53%
  4. Sugarloaf Point State Scientific and Natural AreaCook County, best mid May · 22 checklists that week, 337 in all51%
  5. Agate Bay (southeast)Lake County, best the second week of August · 30 checklists that week, 815 in all49%
  6. Kitchi Gammi ParkSt. Louis County, best early September · 28 checklists that week, 997 in all47%

Busy spots report more of everything; compare the checklist counts before you drive anywhere.

Best time of day

In Minnesota, the Purple Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (7.2% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (349) to judge1 am: too few checklists (331) to judge2 am: too few checklists (286) to judge3 am: too few checklists (364) to judge4 am: too few checklists (863) to judge5 am: too few checklists (7598) to judge6 am: 7.5% of 35775 checklists7 am: 7.1% of 90565 checklists8 am: 5.8% of 110612 checklists9 am: 4.7% of 106128 checklists10 am: 3.9% of 96131 checklists11 am: 3.5% of 83750 checklists12 pm: 3.2% of 76254 checklists1 pm: 3.0% of 73480 checklists2 pm: 2.8% of 73703 checklists3 pm: 2.7% of 75249 checklists4 pm: 2.9% of 68810 checklists5 pm: 2.4% of 51899 checklists6 pm: 2.1% of 38524 checklists7 pm: 1.3% of 25120 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (10568) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (2420) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (748) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (420) to judge12a3a6a9a12p3p6p9p
Share of checklists started in each local hour that reported it. It reflects when people go birding as well as when birds are active. Grey hours have too few checklists (under 2% of the state’s, or under 200) to judge.
Week-by-week table
MonthDays 1-78-1415-2122-end
January3.8%3.6%4.9%5.2%
February5.2%5.3%4.9%4.0%
March3.4%2.9%3.1%3.4%
April4.0%4.8%5.5%5.2%
May4.3%4.2%3.6%3.0%
June2.6%2.7%2.9%3.4%
July3.6%2.6%2.7%2.8%
August3.3%3.4%3.3%3.6%
September3.8%3.8%4.0%4.5%
October5.4%5.6%6.0%5.8%
November4.5%4.1%3.6%3.2%
December2.7%2.7%3.1%3.6%

Neighboring states

  • Iowa: winter visitor, peaks early November
  • Wisconsin: all year, most in fall, peaks mid October
  • South Dakota: winter visitor, peaks early December
  • North Dakota: winter visitor, peaks early November

Common questions

When do Purple Finches arrive in Minnesota?
The Purple Finch is in Minnesota all year. It turns up on about 5.8% of checklists at its peak (mid October) and on 2.7% in its quietest week (the second week of June).
When do Purple Finches leave Minnesota?
The Purple Finch does not leave Minnesota: it is reported all year, from 2.7% of checklists in the second week of June to 5.8% in mid October.
When is the best time to see a Purple Finch in Minnesota?
The Purple Finch is reported most often in mid October, on about 5.8% of Minnesota checklists.
Where in Minnesota are Purple Finches seen most often?
By county, Red Lake County, Wabasha County, and Renville County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).