Redpoll

Overview

Redpoll (Acanthis flammea) is a species of Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae) in the order Perching Birds (Passerines). A tiny finch with a red forehead patch and black chin; irruptive, descending south in flocks when birch seeds fail; an acrobat of birch and alder treetops.

Scientific Classification

Genus: Acanthis; binomial: Acanthis flammea; authority: (Linnaeus, 1758). Typical size: 12-14cm. Average lifespan: 3-6 years.

Distribution

Breeding range: the Palearctic and the Nearctic. Non-breeding range: irruptively southward.

Conservation Status

This taxon is listed as Extant (living) in the IOC World Bird List.

Remarks

Species taxonomy of redpolls is unsettled, including Lesser Redpoll Acanthis (flammea) cabaret recognized by BOU (Ottvall et al. 2002; Marthinsen et al. 2008). Treat all of the redpoll taxa as conspecific with the English name "Redpoll" (IOC 14.2) following Chesser et al. (2024) based on genomic homogeneity, continuous phenotypic variation, overlapping habitat, and lack of evidence of prolonged isolation (Mason & Taylor 2015; Funk et al. 2021).