Lesser redpoll

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Lesser redpoll
Carduelis cabaret1.jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Subfamily: Carduelinae
Genus: Acanthis
Species:
A. cabaret
Binomial name
Acanthis cabaret
Carduelis cabaret map.png

     Summer     Resident     Winter [1]
Synonyms

Carduelis cabaret
Carduelis flammea cabaret
Acanthis flammea cabaret

Contents

Eggs of lesser redpoll Carduelis flammea cabaret MHNT.ZOO.2010.11.221 Naurois HdB Tolborough.jpg
Eggs of lesser redpoll

The lesser redpoll (Acanthis cabaret) is a small passerine bird in the finch family, Fringillidae. It is the smallest, brownest, and most streaked of the redpolls. It is sometimes classified as a subspecies of the common redpoll (Acanthis flammea) but has recently been split from that species by the British Ornithologists' Union. It is native to Europe and has been introduced to New Zealand. Many birds migrate further south in winter, but the mild climate means that it can be found all year round in much of its range, and may be joined by the other two redpoll species in winter.

Taxonomy

The genus name Acanthis is from the Ancient Greek akanthis, a name for a small now-unidentifiable bird, and cabaret is the French name for a type of finch. [2]

The relationships among the redpolls are unresolved. [3] The lesser redpoll co-occurs with the mealy redpoll (the subspecies flammea of the common redpoll) in southern Norway, apparently without significant interbreeding, though sympatry was established too recently to draw firm conclusions. [4]

Description

It is a small, short-tailed finch, 11.5–12.5 centimetres (4.5–4.9 in) long with a wingspan of 20–22.5 centimetres (7.9–8.9 in) and a weight of 9–12 grams (0.32–0.42 oz). The bill is short, conical and sharply pointed and is pale yellow with a dark tip. The adult male is largely brown above with darker streaks. It has a red forehead, a black chin and, during the breeding season, pink on the breast and face. The flanks are buff with dark streaks and the belly and undertail-coverts are whitish. There are two pale bars on the wing. The adult female is similar but lacks the pink on the breast and face and has less streaking on the flanks. The juvenile has a pale head with no red forehead and less black on the chin.

The commonest call is a harsh, metallic, staccato chuch-uch-uch-uch given in flight or while perched. It also has a plaintive alarm call. The trilling song combines the flight call with a buzzing rattle and is often given in an undulating song-flight around the territory.

The mealy redpoll is similar to the lesser redpoll, but larger and paler with whiter underparts. The upperparts are more buff and the rump is pale with dark streaks.

Distribution and habitat

Male in Scotland Carduelis cabaret -Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, Scotland -male-8.jpg
Male in Scotland
Female in Scotland Carduelis cabaret -Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, Scotland -female-8.jpg
Female in Scotland

It was formerly almost restricted to Ireland, most of Great Britain, and the Alps, but its range has expanded considerably across central and northern Europe in recent decades. It is a widespread breeding bird in Great Britain and Ireland, although absent from parts of southern and central England. It nests along the North Sea coast from northeastern France to Germany and has spread into Denmark, southern Norway, and southwestern Sweden. The Alpine population has increased and spread into neighbouring regions. The bird now nests as far east as southern Poland, Slovakia, and northern Romania.

It is a short-distance migrant, with many birds spending the winter within the breeding range. Alpine birds often move to lower elevations. In Great Britain, it becomes more widespread in lowland areas in winter. Some British birds move south to mainland Europe, occasionally reaching as far as Iberia.

This species was first introduced to New Zealand in 1862 as part of a shipment of birds to Nelson. [5] Several further introductions followed and it has become widely established. It is most common on the South Island and at higher altitudes and has colonised many offshore islands. It has spread to the Australian territory of Macquarie Island and has occurred as a vagrant to Lord Howe Island.

It inhabits open woodland, scrubland, farmland, and dunes. Its spread has been aided by an increase in conifer plantations.

Behaviour

It is a sociable bird which usually forages in flocks. It feeds mainly in trees, but also feeds on the ground, especially in winter as the supply of seeds becomes reduced. The diet is mostly composed of small seeds, such as those of birch, alder, and grasses. Fruit, buds, and invertebrates are also eaten.

Breeding pairs form in late winter. The breeding territory and several pairs will often nest close together in a loose colony. The cup-shaped nest is built by the female, usually in a shrub or tree. It is made of twigs and plant stems, with an inner layer of roots, grass, moss, leaves, and other vegetation and a lining of feathers, wool, and hair. Two to seven eggs are laid. They are pale bluish or greenish, with reddish or brownish blotches and streaks. The female incubates the eggs for 12–15 days, while being fed by the male. The young birds are fed by both parents and fledge after 9–15 days.

Related Research Articles

Finch Family of birds

The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usually resident and do not migrate. They have a worldwide distribution except for Australia and the polar regions. The family Fringillidae contains more than two hundred species divided into fifty genera. It includes species known as siskins, canaries, redpolls, serins, grosbeaks and euphonias.

American goldfinch A small North American migratory bird in the finch family

The American goldfinch is a small North American bird in the finch family. It is migratory, ranging from mid-Alberta to North Carolina during the breeding season, and from just south of the Canada–United States border to Mexico during the winter.

Fieldfare

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Black redstart Species of bird

The black redstart is a small passerine bird in the redstart genus Phoenicurus. Like its relatives, it was formerly classed as a member of the thrush family (Turdidae), but is now known to be an Old World flycatcher (Muscicapidae). Other common names are Tithy's redstart, blackstart and black redtail.

Common cuckoo Species of bird

The common cuckoo is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, Cuculiformes, which includes the roadrunners, the anis and the coucals.

European goldfinch Species of bird

The European goldfinch or simply the goldfinch, is a small passerine bird in the finch family that is native to Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia. It has been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand and Uruguay.

Common chaffinch

The common chaffinch or simply the chaffinch is a common and widespread small passerine bird in the finch family. The male is brightly coloured with a blue-grey cap and rust-red underparts. The female is much duller in colouring, but both sexes have two contrasting white wing bars and white sides to the tail. The male bird has a strong voice and sings from exposed perches to attract a mate.

European greenfinch Species of bird

The European greenfinch or simply the greenfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.

Redpoll

The redpolls are a group of small passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae, which have characteristic red markings on their heads. They are placed in the genus Acanthis. The genus name Acanthis is from the Ancient Greek akanthis, a name for a small now-unidentifiable bird.

Common redpoll

The common redpoll is a species of bird in the finch family. It breeds somewhat further south than the Arctic redpoll, also in habitats with thickets or shrubs.

Arctic redpoll

The Arctic redpoll, known in North America as the hoary redpoll, is a bird species in the finch family Fringillidae. It breeds in tundra birch forest. It has two subspecies, A. h. hornemanni of Greenland and neighbouring parts of Canada, and A. h. exilipes, which breeds in the tundra of northern North America and the Palearctic. Many birds remain in the far north; some birds migrate short distances south in winter, sometimes travelling with common redpolls.

Twite

The twite is a small brown passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.

Hawfinch

The hawfinch is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. Its closest living relatives are the evening grosbeak from North America and the hooded grosbeak from Central America and Mexico.

Eurasian siskin


The Eurasian siskin is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European siskin, common siskin or just siskin. Other (archaic) names include black-headed goldfinch, barley bird and aberdevine. It is very common throughout Europe and Eurosiberia. It is found in forested areas, both coniferous and mixed woodland where it feeds on seeds of all kinds, especially of alder and conifers.

Pine siskin

The pine siskin is a North American bird in the finch family. It is a migratory bird with an extremely sporadic winter range.

Masked shrike Migratory bird in the family Laniidae

The masked shrike is a bird in the shrike family, Laniidae. It breeds in southeastern Europe and at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, with a separate population in eastern Iraq and western Iran. It is migratory, wintering mainly in northeast Africa. Although it is a short-range migrant, vagrants have occurred widely elsewhere, including northern and western Europe. It is the smallest member of its genus, long-tailed and with a hooked bill. The male has mainly black upperparts, with white on its crown, forehead and supercilium and large white patches on the shoulders and wings. The throat, neck sides and underparts are white, with orange flanks and breast. The female is a duller version of the male, with brownish black upperparts and a grey or buff tone to the shoulders and underparts. The juvenile has grey-brown upperparts with a paler forehead and barring from the head to rump, barred off-white underparts and brown wings аpart from the white primary patches. The species' calls are short and grating, but the song has melodic warbler-like components.

Citril finch

The citril finch, also known as the Alpine citril finch, is a small songbird, a member of the true finch family, Fringillidae. For a long time, this cardueline finch was placed in the genus Serinus, but it is apparently very closely related to the European goldfinch.

Carduelinae

The cardueline finches are a subfamily, Carduelinae, one of three subfamilies of the finch family Fringillidae, the others being the Fringillinae and the Euphoniinae. The Hawaiian honeycreepers are now included in this subfamily. Cardueline finches are specialised seed eaters, and unlike most passerine birds, they feed their young mostly on seeds, which are regurgitated. Besides this, they differ from the other finches in some minor details of their skull. They are adept at opening seeds and clinging to stems, unlike other granivorous birds, such as sparrows and buntings, which feed mostly on fallen seeds. Some members of this subfamily are further specialised to feed on a particular type of seed, such as cones, in the case of crossbills. Carduelines forage in flocks throughout the year, rather than keeping territories, and males defend their females rather than a territory or nest.

Rufous-tailed plantcutter

The rufous-tailed plantcutter, sometimes called the Chilean plantcutter, is a passerine bird of southern South America, now placed in the cotinga family. It is a medium-sized bird about 19 centimetres (7.5 in) long with a long black tail with a red base. Males have greyish-brown upper parts, a chestnut crown and breast, and dark facial markings. Females are similar but lack the chestnut crown and have streaked, buff underparts. There is a wing bar which is white in the male and buff in the female. This is a fairly common species with a wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

Chestnut bunting

The chestnut bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae found in the East Palearctic.

References

  1. ↑ Map derived from Snow & Perrins Birds of the Western Palearctic and several national bird atlases.
  2. ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London, United Kingdom: Christopher Helm. pp.  29, 82. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  3. ↑ Seutin, G.; Ratcliffe, L. M.; Boag, P. T. (1995). "Mitochondrial DNA homogeneity in the phenotypically diverse redpoll finch complex (Aves: Carduelinae: Carduelis flammea - hornemanni)". Evolution . 49 (5): 962–973. doi:10.2307/2410418.
  4. ↑ Sangster, George; Knox, Alan G.; Helbig, Andreas J.; Parkin, David T. (2002). "Taxonomic recommendations for European birds". Ibis. 144 (1): 153–159. doi:10.1046/j.0019-1019.2001.00026.x.
  5. ↑ "Redpoll". NZ Birds website. 2005-09-21. Retrieved 2007-10-09.

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