A few weeks ago I saw this bird and managed to get a few photos that were good enough to identify it as a female or first year male purple finch. But what’s with the yellow patch under its bill? I could find no other photo or drawing that showed the same marking. Plus this bird is less streaked than most female purple finches.
But then today this one showed up. Even stranger. Would you immediately say this is a purple finch? It has an even larger and yellower patch under its bill and it has a very yellow-orange coloration. Plus, it is even less streaked.
This is how I expect female purple finches to look.
Here are some more photos of the second strange looking purple finch. Anyone have any ideas what is going on here?
We had five brownish purple finches and two bright males in our yard today. Here are the males.
