So there are purple finches... they are grosbeaks (like cardinals) but are smaller.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/PHOTO/LARGE/purple_finch_glamor.jpgMy wife is big into birds. She could think of nothing that meets your description. Was it on the ground or on a feeder? did it have a heavy short beak, or a longer thinner one?
Not a tanager. It had a reddish hue but was not red. Does that make sense?
It's possible that it was a young cardinal, although it wasn't spiking its mohawk and looked much bigger than pictures I'm finding of young cards.
(Image removed from quote.)
