Pretty sure we have purple finches, right? Female for sure, male I'm 98% sure.

Correct

Awesome, thanks! Pretty cool huh? Most maps show it's winter range for most of eastern TX, but eBird.com still calls it a rare bird.

I hope to see one some day.......

Want to stop by my house? about 8-9 am for the last few days

Not a House Finch?

Look at markings on face, house finches don't have those.

I'm not a birder, but my supervisor is big time...he looked at it before I responded.

What is a good go-to resource for bird IDs in the Texas area?

Hard to beat a Sibley Guide. Also AllAboutBirds.com will usually have multiple photos, comparison of similar species, range maps, life history, etc.

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What is a good go-to resource for bird IDs in the Texas area?

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The Sibley guide already mentioned is probably the most famous book, along with one published by National Geographic. Also very famous is the book by Stokes, which is the one I prefer.

There are several websites that may be of use. Cornell labs has one about birds, and I think that Audubon has one too.

Don't forget the binoculars!

C

just curious as I am do not know if I have a book that shows. how do you tell a House finch from this bird as I think they have pretty good bit of red plumage as well?

Thanks oruc

After looking at these pics I might have Purple Finch at my house instead of House Finch. I'll try to get some pics tomorrow. There's a pair here every day.

I'm not a birder but I do like learning the birds on my property so that I can teach my kids. I downloaded the Merlin Bird ID app and it works really well and is fun to use when out hiking or hunting

I had a finch with red on it today on 1 of my feeders. Now I want to know which 1 it was!

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What is a good go-to resource for bird IDs in the Texas area?

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See the post just above yours.

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Thanks for the input guys and Gator, go flock yourself.