Overview

Common Redpoll: Small finch, brown-streaked grey upperparts, bright rose-pink breast, boldly streaked flanks and undertail coverts. Red cap and black chin. Bill is orange-yellow with fine black tip. Wings are dark with two narrow white bars; tail is black and notched. Rump usually streaked.

Common Redpoll: Migrant visitor and winter visitor to the UK. Can be seen during autumn and winter monthsm, especially along the east coasts of Scotland and England. Can be seen in mixed forest and willow or birch scrub areas; it often forages for seeds and insects in the trees.

Jean Roche Sound

Common Redpoll 1

• Recordist: Jean Roche
• Title: Common Redpoll 1
• Description: Trilled notes with whistles.
• Location: uk
• Date: "February 7, 2011"

Voice Text

"chit-chit-chit-chit", "swe-ee-et"

• Common Redpolls have throat pouches for temporarily storing seeds. They may fill their pouches with seeds quickly then fly away to swallow the seeds in a more protected, warmer spot.
• Although not considered a migratory bird, one of these birds, bearing a band with Chinese markings, was captured in Norway, having traveled over 4000 miles.
• Research has shown that they are able to survive temperatures down to minus 67 degrees C (89 degrees F below zero). They are also known to sleep in snow tunnels in order to preserve body heat.
• A group of redpolls are known as a "gallup" of redpolls.

• Lesser Redpoll
• Twite
• Linnet
• Common Rosefinch
• Arctic Redpoll

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.

Author

Artist

Michael Oberhofer