Acanthis flammea

The Common Redpoll is one of a few cold-weather finch species in North America. This finch is about 5 inches long with a plump body, notched tail, and thick bill. Males and females are streaked brown and tan above, and both have a red forehead and black throat. The male’s breast is washed with pink, while the female’s is off-white. Despite its name, the Common Redpoll is common only in the northernmost parts of North America and Eurasia. In North America, this species breeds in Alaska and high arctic Canada, and winters in southern Canada and the northern tier of the United States. In Eurasia, this species breeds in Scandinavia and Russia, wintering south to central Europe and China. Although among the most common species of songbird on its breeding grounds, few birdwatchers visit this species there. Common Redpolls inhabit open areas of tundra, sparse evergreen forest, and scrub. They mainly eat seeds, but will also catch insects when available during the summer. In some years, large numbers of Redpolls will move south during the winter montsh in response to lack of food further north. These finches are best observed foraging for food, when they may be found feeding high in trees, atop small bushes, or on the ground. Redpolls are acrobatic while feeding, often perching precariously on the ends of branches and hanging down to reach seeds or cones This species is most active during the day. .

Threat Status: Least concern

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: Circumpolar in Arctic and Subarctic. BREEDS: in North America, from western and northern Alaska, northern Yukon, east to northern Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland. WINTERS: central Alaska, southern nesting range in Canada to northern California, northern Nevada, northern Utah, central Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Kentucky, South Carolina (AOU 1983).

Length: 13 cm

Weight: 13 grams

See Czaplak (1995) for information on distinguishing common and hoary redpolls in winter.

Systems

• Terrestrial

Depth range based on 2 specimens in 1 taxon.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 0
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Comments: Forest, scrub and shrubby areas, and open tundra with bushes or dwarf trees; in migration and winter in open woodland, weedy fields, fence rows and cultivated lands (AOU 1983).

Nests usually in subarctic forest and tundra scrub, in tree or shrub, 1-2 m above ground (Terres 1980). Also in driftwood piles along coast, or on ground often near willow shrub.

Non-Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species do not make significant seasonal migrations. Juvenile dispersal is not considered a migration.

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: Yes. At least some populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Irruptive winter migrant to areas south of Canada. Flocks migrate to northern nesting areas by mid-March (Terres 1980). Arrives in Beaufort Sea area by May (Johnson and Herter 1989). Rare fall vagrant in northwestern Hawaii (Pratt et al. 1987).

Comments: Eats seeds of birches, alders, willows, pines, elms, grasses, etc. Forages in trees or on the ground. Also eats insects during the summer.

May travel in large flocks in winter.

Weakly territorial (Knox and Lowther 2000); individuals move up to 20 kilometers while foraging during breeding season (Molau 1985).

Maximum longevity: 10.7 years (wild)

Nests are initiated usually in June in the Beaufort Sea area. Clutch size is 4-5, sometimes up to 7. Incubation, by female, lasts 10-11 days (Terres 1980). Young are tended by both adults, leave nest in 11-16 days. Females have the capacity to double-clutch. Pairs may nest near each other.

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 19
Specimens with Barcodes: 29
Species With Barcodes: 1

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 19 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

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Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

History

• 2008
  Least Concern
• 2005
  Least Concern
• 2004
  Not Recognized

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B,N5N : N5B: Secure - Breeding, N5N: Secure - Nonbreeding

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: N5B,N5N : N5B: Secure - Breeding, N5N: Secure - Nonbreeding

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure