WhenToBird

Haemorhous purpureus · Fringillidae

When Do Purple Finches Arrive in Texas?

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

Purple Finches are winter birds in Texas: they arrive in early December, peak in the second week of February (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.

When to look

First arrivalsDec 1-7early December
Common byDec 1-7early December
PeakFeb 8-14the second week of February
Most gone byMar 8-14the second week of March

Best: the second week of February. First arrivals early December; most are gone by the second week of March. Peak: on about 1.1% of Texas checklists.

  1. Janpeak season
  2. Febpeak season
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprrare
  5. Maynot usually seen
  6. Junnot usually seen
  7. Julnot usually seen
  8. Augnot usually seen
  9. Sepnot usually seen
  10. Octnot usually seen
  11. Novuncommon
  12. Deccommon

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

0%0.5%1%1.5%Jan 1-7: 0.8% of 66038 checklistsJan 8-14: 1.1% of 52445 checklistsJan 15-21: 1.0% of 52985 checklistsJan 22-31: 1.0% of 71020 checklistsFeb 1-7: 1.1% of 52306 checklistsFeb 8-14: 1.2% of 55887 checklistsFeb 15-21: 1.1% of 69016 checklistsFeb 22-28: 0.8% of 52998 checklistsMar 1-7: 0.8% of 50836 checklistsMar 8-14: 0.6% of 51749 checklistsMar 15-21: 0.3% of 53731 checklistsMar 22-31: 0.1% of 82049 checklistsApr 1-7: 0.1% of 65854 checklistsApr 8-14: 0.1% of 78434 checklistsApr 15-21: 0.1% of 92302 checklistsApr 22-30: 0.1% of 122878 checklistsMay 1-7: 0.1% of 74592 checklistsMay 8-14: 0% of 61008 checklistsMay 15-21: 0% of 43365 checklistsMay 22-31: 0% of 52736 checklistsJun 1-7: 0% of 31643 checklistsJun 8-14: 0% of 30131 checklistsJun 15-21: 0% of 26802 checklistsJun 22-30: 0% of 32822 checklistsJul 1-7: 0% of 27213 checklistsJul 8-14: 0% of 24555 checklistsJul 15-21: 0% of 24146 checklistsJul 22-31: 0% of 34536 checklistsAug 1-7: 0% of 25764 checklistsAug 8-14: 0% of 26347 checklistsAug 15-21: 0% of 28431 checklistsAug 22-31: 0% of 42838 checklistsSep 1-7: 0% of 35070 checklistsSep 8-14: 0% of 33893 checklistsSep 15-21: 0% of 32572 checklistsSep 22-30: 0% of 43771 checklistsOct 1-7: 0% of 34143 checklistsOct 8-14: 0% of 37563 checklistsOct 15-21: 0% of 36263 checklistsOct 22-31: 0.1% of 49170 checklistsNov 1-7: 0.1% of 43301 checklistsNov 8-14: 0.2% of 48744 checklistsNov 15-21: 0.3% of 42213 checklistsNov 22-30: 0.3% of 54455 checklistsDec 1-7: 0.6% of 40166 checklistsDec 8-14: 0.6% of 41035 checklistsDec 15-21: 0.7% of 46983 checklistsDec 22-31: 0.7% of 73015 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 Texas 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 Texas

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sabine CountyBest mid February · 55 checklists that week, 1,870 in all27%
  2. Cherokee CountyBest mid January · 33 checklists that week, 1,893 in all24%
  3. Morris CountyBest mid January · 64 checklists that week, 2,618 in all23%
  4. Red River CountyBest the second week of February · 19 checklists that week, 1,179 in all21%
  5. Liberty CountyBest early February · 74 checklists that week, 3,558 in all20%
  6. Upshur CountyBest mid February · 48 checklists that week, 1,672 in all20%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Sam Houston National Forest (west)Montgomery County, best early February · 56 checklists that week, 181 in all74%
  2. Yett Creek Neighborhood ParkTravis County, best mid January · 28 checklists that week, 542 in all42%
  3. Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest District ParkTravis County, best early February · 24 checklists that week, 831 in all31%
  4. Tyler State ParkSmith County, best late November · 26 checklists that week, 1,126 in all20%
  5. Colleyville Nature CenterTarrant County, best mid February · 76 checklists that week, 3,241 in all19%

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

Best time of day

In Texas, the Purple Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 7 and 9 am (0.5% of those checklists).

0%0.5%12 am: too few checklists (898) to judge1 am: too few checklists (756) to judge2 am: too few checklists (663) to judge3 am: too few checklists (741) to judge4 am: too few checklists (1537) to judge5 am: too few checklists (6113) to judge6 am: 0.4% of 74687 checklists7 am: 0.5% of 285131 checklists8 am: 0.5% of 329960 checklists9 am: 0.4% of 267889 checklists10 am: 0.4% of 218205 checklists11 am: 0.3% of 178879 checklists12 pm: 0.3% of 153722 checklists1 pm: 0.3% of 144662 checklists2 pm: 0.3% of 138578 checklists3 pm: 0.2% of 136878 checklists4 pm: 0.2% of 137550 checklists5 pm: 0.1% of 113599 checklists6 pm: 0.1% of 81743 checklists7 pm: 0.1% of 53396 checklists8 pm: too few checklists (17221) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4048) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (1965) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (990) 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
January0.8%1.1%1.0%1.0%
February1.1%1.2%1.1%0.8%
March0.8%0.6%0.3%0.1%
April0.1%0.1%0.1%0.1%
May0.1%0%0%0%
June0%0%0%0%
July0%0%0%0%
August0%0%0%0%
September0%0%0%0%
October0%0%0%0.1%
November0.1%0.2%0.3%0.3%
December0.6%0.6%0.7%0.7%

Neighboring states

  • Louisiana: arrives mid November, 2 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Oklahoma: arrives the second week of November, 3 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Arkansas: arrives late October, 5 weeks earlier than Texas
  • Mississippi: arrives the second week of November, 3 weeks earlier than Texas

Common questions

When do Purple Finches arrive in Texas?
Purple Finches are winter birds in Texas: they arrive in early December, peak in the second week of February (1.1% of checklists), and most are gone by the second week of March.
When do Purple Finches leave Texas?
Most Purple Finches have left Texas by the second week of March, when reports fall below half their usual rate.
When is the best time to see a Purple Finch in Texas?
The Purple Finch is reported most often in the second week of February, on about 1.1% of Texas checklists.
Where in Texas are Purple Finches seen most often?
By county, Sabine County, Cherokee County, and Morris County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).