Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea)

Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea)

Sent by Juuso, a postcrosser from Finland.

This is from Wikipedia : The Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea) is a species in the finch family. It breeds somewhat further south than the Arctic Redpoll, also in habitats with thickets or shrubs. Nominate C. f. flammea (Mealy Redpoll) breeds across the northern parts of North America and Eurasia. There is also an Icelandic subspecies, "Icelandic Redpoll" C. f. islandica, and one which breeds in Greenland and Baffin Island, C. f. rostrata (Greenland Redpoll). Together the Iceland and Greenland forms are sometimes known as "Northwestern Redpoll". All forms migrate further south in winter into southern Canada, the northern USA and most of Eurasia. These birds are remarkably resistant to cold temperatures[1] and winter movements are mainly driven by the availability of food. The common redpoll is smaller, browner and more streaked than the Arctic Redpoll. There are two distinct populations (one lighter, one darker) united in islandica, the relationships of which are unresolved.

The Mealy Redpoll is larger and paler than the Lesser Redpoll with which it often mixes, apparently without significant interbreeding though sympatry was established too recently to draw firm conclusions.