Finch ID: House, purple, or Cassin's?

[dimitrig]

I have lots and lots of House Finches here. When I saw this guy he immediately stood out, mainly because he doesn't have any streaking on his breast like most House Finches. So my immediate thought was Purple Finch. However, he's doesn't have as much coloration as what I would expect a Purple Finch to have. This ID has been bugging me and today I saw someone in my area report that there are more Cassin's Finches at lower elevations than usual - presumably due to the wildfires in the mountains destroying habitat. There have definitely been more Mountain Chickadees here than I have seen since the LAST fire. Poring over photos, I am thinking this may be a Cassin's mainly because of the absence of any streaking on the breast. If this is a Cassin's it would be my first, but if it is just a House Finch I can live with that. I don't think so, though.

[RobinHood]

I believe the chunky, curved bill suggests House Finch but wait for more responses.

[Trevor L.]

It’s a male, given the reddish coloring. The brown streaks on the side and the bill curve that @RobinHood mentioned make it a House.

[Tony Leukering]

Note that the flank streaking is dark, well defined, and not within the red coloration of the underparts -- features that are NOT consistent with either Purple or Cassin's.

[Charlie Spencer]

@dimitrig, please include the sighting location in the future.  If you included it for this finch and I missed it, I apologize.

[Bird-Boys]

https://feederwatch.org/learn/tricky-bird-ids/purple-finch-house-finch-and-cassins-finch/

[dimitrig]

Thanks for all the replies. I have seen thousands and thousands of HOFI and this one still stands out to me as something else mainly because there is no streaking on the breast at all.

This is what HOFI look like around here which is Altadena, CA:

 

To me that looks pretty different from my bird and I noticed it right away despite seeing HOFI all day every day!

Edited May 2, 2021 by dimitrig

[dimitrig]

Compare:

 

 

[dimitrig]

Note the complete absence of any streaking or mottling on the breast compared to what a typical HOFI looks like here. Not saying it's not a HOFI, but if it is then it is definitely unusual enough for me to notice the differences.

Compare:

 

Edited May 2, 2021 by dimitrig

[IKLland]

7 hours ago, dimitrig said:

Note the complete absence of any streaking or mottling on the breast compared to what a typical HOFI looks like here. Not saying it's not a HOFI, but if it is then it is definitely unusual enough for me to notice the differences.

Compare:

 

The amount of red on male HOFIs vary greatly. Purple ( and cassin’s?), have different facial patterns, and the red continues down the back. Females, on the other hand, have different facial patterns than HOFIs, and streaking is just a bit different. 

[lonestranger]

On 5/2/2021 at 3:46 AM, dimitrig said:

Not saying it's not a HOFI, but if it is then it is definitely unusual enough for me to notice the differences.

I agree, it's an unusual looking bird. I thought the smoothness(for lack of a better word) was a photo effect but I could have easily been convinced it wasn't a House Finch because of the subtle differences between finches.

 

Maybe it's a HYBRID. *stirs the pot on my way out*