Redpoll

Acanthis flammea (Linnaeus, 1758)

12–14 cmLength23 cmWingspan13 gWeight

This small rufous-gray finch has dark markings, a small bright red spot on the forehead and a black throat.

Busiest months: January–March and November · Most records: Canada, United States, United Kingdom

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Bright red spots on the forehead
Throat black
Two pale wing patches
Bill pale yellow with a dark tip

Male, female and young

The male often has a reddish wash on the breast.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January–March and November · Most records: Canada, United States, United Kingdom

Redpoll has been recorded at 1,241 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 50 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

KaldbakstjarnirIceland4,597 records
GambellUnited States4,041 records
St. Paul IslandUnited States3,377 records

More places

RNF du Cap-TourmenteCanada2,484 records
Algonquin Provincial Park – Visitor CentreCanada2,276 records
Pointe-au-PèreCanada2,222 records
Whitefish PointUnited States2,178 records
Le nichoir des Fréchette!Canada1,807 records
Jardin botanique de MontréalCanada1,478 records
La PocatièreCanada1,451 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Canada United States United Kingdom Iceland New Zealand Norway Finland Sweden

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The redpoll (Acanthis flammea) is a species of small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Acanthis. It breeds in the Arctic and north temperate Holarctic tundra and taiga.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Redpoll?

The Redpoll is about 12–14 cm long, with a wingspan of 23 cm and weighs around 13 g.

Where does the Redpoll live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic, North America: low (locally high) Arctic to northern temperate Holarctic tundra and taiga: southwestern, southeastern Greenland, Iceland, northern Scandinavia east through northern Russia to Chukotskiy Peninsula, Kamchatka and Sakhalin (eastern Russia). Also temperate western, west-central Palearctic lowland (montane in southern) birch and larch woods: British Isles, southwestern Scandinavia east to northern Germany and southern Poland; southern to southeastern France, Austria and Czech Republic. It is most often recorded in Canada, United States and United Kingdom.

When is the best time to see the Redpoll?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February, March and November (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Redpoll endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Redpoll as Least Concern.

What does the Redpoll eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Redpoll in?

It belongs to the family Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: 12–14 cm
Wingspan: 23 cm
Weight: 13 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Varied
Migration: Partial migrant
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 76 mm
Tail: 59 mm
Bill: 11 mm
Tarsus: 16 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic, North America: low (locally high) Arctic to northern temperate Holarctic tundra and taiga: southwestern, southeastern Greenland, Iceland, northern Scandinavia east through northern Russia to Chukotskiy Peninsula, Kamchatka and Sakhalin (eastern Russia). Also temperate western, west-central Palearctic lowland (montane in southern) birch and larch woods: British Isles, southwestern Scandinavia east to northern Germany and southern Poland; southern to southeastern France, Austria and Czech Republic

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Subspecies · 1

Acanthis flammea exilipes low (locally high) Arctic tundra birch and willow of n Eurasia, n Alaska and nw Canada | non-breeding: irruptive to c Europe, n China and n USA