WhenToBird

Haemorhous purpureus · Fringillidae

When Do Purple Finches Arrive in Wisconsin?

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

Purple Finches are in Wisconsin all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early October, peak in mid October (6.7% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of November. In the quietest week (early June) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.

When to look

Numbers buildOct 1-7early October
PeakOct 15-21mid October
Fall back byNov 8-14the second week of November
FewestJun 1-7early June

Best: mid October. Here all year; numbers build from early October and fall back by the second week of November. Peak: on about 6.7% of Wisconsin checklists.

  1. Jancommon
  2. Febcommon
  3. Marcommon
  4. Aprpeak season
  5. Maycommon
  6. Juncommon
  7. Julcommon
  8. Augcommon
  9. Sepcommon
  10. Octpeak season
  11. Novpeak season
  12. Deccommon

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

0%2%4%6%8%Jan 1-7: 3.1% of 27925 checklistsJan 8-14: 3.8% of 18337 checklistsJan 15-21: 4.3% of 17370 checklistsJan 22-31: 4.1% of 23777 checklistsFeb 1-7: 4.0% of 16656 checklistsFeb 8-14: 3.6% of 18286 checklistsFeb 15-21: 3.1% of 24739 checklistsFeb 22-28: 3.5% of 20113 checklistsMar 1-7: 3.2% of 24024 checklistsMar 8-14: 2.7% of 26722 checklistsMar 15-21: 2.9% of 27238 checklistsMar 22-31: 3.2% of 40171 checklistsApr 1-7: 3.7% of 34961 checklistsApr 8-14: 5.2% of 39128 checklistsApr 15-21: 6.4% of 38887 checklistsApr 22-30: 5.9% of 57231 checklistsMay 1-7: 5.1% of 55115 checklistsMay 8-14: 3.6% of 63098 checklistsMay 15-21: 2.5% of 49821 checklistsMay 22-31: 2.4% of 56796 checklistsJun 1-7: 1.9% of 33621 checklistsJun 8-14: 2.3% of 31282 checklistsJun 15-21: 2.8% of 30186 checklistsJun 22-30: 3.4% of 35128 checklistsJul 1-7: 3.8% of 27088 checklistsJul 8-14: 3.3% of 23293 checklistsJul 15-21: 3.0% of 20933 checklistsJul 22-31: 2.7% of 27595 checklistsAug 1-7: 2.9% of 19147 checklistsAug 8-14: 2.9% of 18286 checklistsAug 15-21: 2.6% of 19195 checklistsAug 22-31: 2.1% of 28229 checklistsSep 1-7: 2.7% of 22408 checklistsSep 8-14: 3.4% of 20857 checklistsSep 15-21: 3.7% of 20707 checklistsSep 22-30: 4.4% of 26469 checklistsOct 1-7: 5.1% of 21069 checklistsOct 8-14: 6.0% of 21011 checklistsOct 15-21: 7.4% of 20006 checklistsOct 22-31: 6.7% of 26362 checklistsNov 1-7: 5.3% of 18928 checklistsNov 8-14: 4.3% of 17052 checklistsNov 15-21: 3.9% of 16291 checklistsNov 22-30: 4.0% of 20564 checklistsDec 1-7: 3.9% of 15354 checklistsDec 8-14: 3.6% of 16294 checklistsDec 15-21: 3.0% of 21430 checklistsDec 22-31: 3.7% of 26314 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 Wisconsin 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.

Embed this map on your site

Where in Wisconsin

Best counties

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Crawford CountyBest the second week of January · 44 checklists that week, 4,271 in all49%
  2. Taylor CountyBest the second week of May · 104 checklists that week, 4,326 in all47%
  3. Iron CountyBest mid April · 194 checklists that week, 5,981 in all43%
  4. Florence CountyBest late April · 280 checklists that week, 10,179 in all40%
  5. Washburn CountyBest late April · 319 checklists that week, 7,099 in all36%
  6. Jackson CountyBest the second week of January · 29 checklists that week, 3,223 in all36%

Best spots

Share of checklists at the peak
  1. Fischer LakeFlorence County, best the second week of August · 47 checklists that week, 2,931 in all93%
  2. Statenaker LakeVilas County, best early August · 40 checklists that week, 2,030 in all61%
  3. Prentice ParkAshland County, best the second week of August · 58 checklists that week, 3,508 in all54%
  4. Ottawa LakeWaukesha County, best late March · 23 checklists that week, 985 in all53%

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

Best time of day

In Wisconsin, the Purple Finch is most often listed on checklists started between 6 and 8 am (6.3% of those checklists).

0%2%4%6%8%12 am: too few checklists (993) to judge1 am: too few checklists (844) to judge2 am: too few checklists (839) to judge3 am: too few checklists (1488) to judge4 am: too few checklists (5344) to judge5 am: 4.9% of 27016 checklists6 am: 5.9% of 83973 checklists7 am: 6.5% of 160717 checklists8 am: 5.1% of 160531 checklists9 am: 4.0% of 136968 checklists10 am: 3.3% of 119110 checklists11 am: 2.9% of 99116 checklists12 pm: 2.8% of 85078 checklists1 pm: 2.8% of 80688 checklists2 pm: 2.9% of 79140 checklists3 pm: 2.5% of 78599 checklists4 pm: 2.2% of 69767 checklists5 pm: 2.2% of 53229 checklists6 pm: 1.8% of 38769 checklists7 pm: too few checklists (24396) to judge8 pm: too few checklists (10155) to judge9 pm: too few checklists (4990) to judge10 pm: too few checklists (2463) to judge11 pm: too few checklists (1281) 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
January3.1%3.8%4.3%4.1%
February4.0%3.6%3.1%3.5%
March3.2%2.7%2.9%3.2%
April3.7%5.2%6.4%5.9%
May5.1%3.6%2.5%2.4%
June1.9%2.3%2.8%3.4%
July3.8%3.3%3.0%2.7%
August2.9%2.9%2.6%2.1%
September2.7%3.4%3.7%4.4%
October5.1%6.0%7.4%6.7%
November5.3%4.3%3.9%4.0%
December3.9%3.6%3.0%3.7%

Neighboring states

  • Illinois: arrives mid September, 2 weeks earlier than Wisconsin
  • Iowa: arrives late September, 1 week earlier than Wisconsin
  • Michigan: arrives late March, 23 weeks later than Wisconsin
  • Minnesota: year-round, peaks mid October

Common questions

When do Purple Finches arrive in Wisconsin?
Purple Finches are in Wisconsin all year, but most are here in fall: numbers build from early October, peak in mid October (6.7% of checklists), and fall back by the second week of November. In the quietest week (early June) they are still on about 2.2% of checklists.
When do Purple Finches leave Wisconsin?
Purple Finches never fully leave Wisconsin: numbers fall back below half their usual rate by the second week of November, but some are still reported in every week, about 2.2% of checklists at the low.
When is the best time to see a Purple Finch in Wisconsin?
The Purple Finch is reported most often in mid October, on about 6.7% of Wisconsin checklists.
Where in Wisconsin are Purple Finches seen most often?
By county, Crawford County, Taylor County, and Iron County have the highest peak reporting rates for the Purple Finch (counties with at least 200 checklists).