Overview

Lesser Redpoll: Small finch with stubby bill. Rose-red on front, throat, and breast. Black line through eye and around base of bill. Black wings and tail with pale edging and white wing bar. Tawny-brown above with black streaks. White belly and vent with some thick, brown streaking.

Lesser Redpoll: Resident breeder throughout much of the the UK and Ireland. During summer breeding birds may be seen throughout Scotland, Wales, Ireland and northern and coastal England. During winter, birds migrate to southern and central England. Prefers forest habitat. Also found in garderns, parks, and hedgerows.

Xeno-Canto Sound

Lesser Redpoll L1

• Title: Lesser Redpoll L1
• Recordist: Jarek Matusiak
• Description: Call consists of rapidly trilled notes.
• Location: pl
• Date: "August 15, 2016"

Lesser Redpoll DD1

• Title: Lesser Redpoll DD1
• Recordist: Jelmer Poelstra
• Description: Songs and calls from a large flock.
• Location: se
• Date: "August 15, 2016"

Lesser Redpoll P1

• Title: Lesser Redpoll P1
• Recordist: Patrik Aberg
• Description: "Swee-eeet" call given in alarm.
• Location: se
• Date: "August 15, 2016"

Voice Text

"chit-chit-chit-chit", "swee-ee-eet"

• The Lesser Redpoll has recently been split into a separate species from the Common Redpoll by several authorities, including the British Ornithologists' Union.
• It was first introduced to New Zealand in 1862 as part of a shipment of birds sent to the city of Nelson.
• This bird was once largely restricted to Great Britain, Ireland and the Alps but the range has expanded across central and northern Eurpope in recent decades.
• A group of redpolls are known as a "gallup" of redpolls.

• Crossbill
• Common Redpoll
• Twite
• Linnet
• Common Rosefinch

Finches (Fringillidae)

ORDER

Also known as perching birds, the order PASSERIFORMES (pronounced pas-ser-i-FOR-meez) is composed of one hundred and eighteen families of birds, among which are the insectivorous warblers and the seed-eating finches.

FAMILY TAXONOMY

The Fringillidae (pronounced frin-JIHL-lih-dee) is a widespread bird family found on most continents and includes two hundred and seven species of finches in thirty-nine genera (IOC World Bird List, version 2.3).

EUROPE

Thirty-four species of finches in thirteen genera have occurred in Europe. These include familiar feeder visitors such as goldfinches and siskins, the crossbills, and the massive-billed Hawfinch.

KNOWN FOR

Finches are known for their seed-eating behaviour and cheery songs; characteristics that facilitated and popularized the domestication of the Island Canary. Finches such as White-winged Crossbills are also known for their “irruptive" migrations in search of food sources that can make them locally common one winter and absent the next.

PHYSICAL

Finches are primarily small birds with stout, short bills adapted to cracking open seeds and have short legs for a mostly arboreal lifestyle. Many species also have slightly forked tails and long wings useful for the large amount of flying needed to find seeding plants.

COLORATION

European finches are generally plumaged in shades of red, yellow, brown, grey, and dull green. Male finches are more brightly coloured than females; the pinkish-red, grey, black, and white plumage of male Bullfinches being especially striking.

GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT

Finches in Europe occupy forest and non-forest habitats, coniferous forests being favoured by some species. The non-forest niche is filled by a variety of species including goldfinches, the Linnet, Twite, and the Trumpeter Finch.

MIGRATION

Most finches are adapted to cold weather and only migrate when seed crops on their breeding grounds become scarce. An exception to this is the Common Rosefinch which migrates from north-eastern Europe to India for the winter.

HABITS

Members of the finch family are very social birds typically found in flocks outside of the breeding season. Most finches forage for seeds in trees and bushes although a few species take some insects and forage on the ground.

CONSERVATION

While finches in Europe are doing quite well, most members of this family native to the Hawaiian Islands are highly endangered with many having already gone extinct and others in decline because of their high susceptibility to introduced diseases such as avian malaria and changes to the native forests they inhabit.

INTERESTING FACTS

The aptly named crossbills have curious curved bills with crossed tips. Although it looks more like a bill deformity than a useful tool, this specialized bill shape is perfect for extracting seeds from pine cones.

Artist

Michael Oberhofer