Common redpoll (Acanthis flammea)
What do common redpoll birds look like?
These small songbirds have colorful patterned brown-and-white feathers with distinguished red markings. The males, above, have red crowns and chests, while the females and juveniles develop only red crowns. Black markings surround stout, pointy yellow beaks, and redpolls’ short tails have a small fork at the end. Songs are a combination of sharp chirps, trills and whistles.
Common redpoll habitat
These social birds breed in Northern Canada and Alaska in summer. In late fall they migrate in large groups to the northern United States and occasionally dip into the Midwest and East Coast when food is scarce. Small seeds, especially those of willow (Salix spp.), birch (Betula spp.) and alder (Alnus spp.) trees, and insects make up their diet. In winter, they’re commonly spotted feeding in masses near the edges of forests and in open fields and weedy ditches.
How to attract this songbird to your garden
If you live in their range, it’s likely that you’ll catch a glimpse of these bright little birds at your feeders or in your garden beds. Be sure to offer a bird feeder dedicated to smaller seeds, and don’t cut back your perennials and ornamental grasses in the fall. Leave the spent flowers standing to form seed, and they might become a chattering common redpoll’s next meal.
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