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Arctic Redpoll
last update: Mar 31, 2009 04:52 PM
Also known as the Hoary Redpoll
Latin name: Carduelis hornemanni
Population: 26 million individuals
Cites classified: Least Concern
Where found: Circumpolar on the western coast of Greenland, from northern Scandinavia across northern Russia, and from northern and central Alaska across northern Canada to the Hudson Bay
Age/ life expectancy: 5 years
Wingspan: 21-28 cm
Length: 13-15 cm
Weight: 11-16 g
Mating/Breeding: Three to six green to blue green eggs spotted with red brown are laid in a nest made of twigs, grass, and rootlets, lined with soft grass, feathers and hair, and built in the middle of a low bush or on the ground sheltered by rocks or vegetation. Incubation ranges from 9 to 12 days and is carried out by the female.
Eggs: 3-6 brown-speckled light blue-green eggs
Hibernation: partially migratory moving short distances only to southern Scandinavia, sub-Arctic Russia, and southern Canada
Hunting Habits: ground forager
Feed on: mainly seeds of willow and birch trees but also grass seeds and invertebrates in the summer
Colour/Body: In general Hoary Redpoll appears grayer (less brown) than Common, as if dredged in flour; it is also slightly larger and has a shorter bill. Specific field marks to look for include the Hoary’s unstreaked white rump; undertail coverts either unstreaked or with a single fine streak; and streaking on the sides less extensive and finer than on Common. Adult males are lightly flushed pale pink on the breast, as opposed to the uniform deep-rose breast coloration of Common.
Subspecies: C. h. hornemanni (Greenland Arctic Redpoll) of Greenland and neighbouring parts of Canada, and C. h. exilipes, which breeds in the tundra of northern North America (where it is known as the Hoary Redpoll) and Eurasia.
Interesting Trivia:
- The Hoary Redpoll has very fluffy body feathers that help it stay warm in extremely cold temperatures. In addition, it has feathers on areas of its body that are bare in most other birds. If temperatures get too high, a redpoll may pluck out some of its body feathers and get rid of some of its insulation. These feathers will grow back in a few days, but by then in the high arctic environment, temperatures probably will have dropped back to normal.
