Redpoll is the name of a group of small songbirds found in North America, Asia, and Europe. Redpolls are 5 to 51/2 inches (12.7 to 14 centimeters) long. The common redpoll has a patch of red feathers on the forehead, a black chin, and whitish underparts, with dark streaks on the sides. The adult male has a rosy-pink breast. The hoary redpoll, or Arctic redpoll, resembles the common redpoll but is paler in color. Some scientists consider the lesser redpoll, which looks much like the common redpoll, to be a third species. However, other scientists consider it a subspecies of the common redpoll.
Redpolls breed in arctic regions. They build grassy nests on the ground or in small trees or bushes. The females lay from three to seven pale blue eggs speckled with reddish-brown. Redpolls eat plant buds, seeds, and some insects. In North America, common redpolls sometimes migrate as far south as the central United States for the winter.
Loading the player...Common redpoll
See also Bird (Birds of the Arctic).
