Hoary Redpoll

Hoary Redpoll, male

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Hoary Redpoll, female

Hoary Redpoll, male, Tompkins Co. NY, December 2003

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A small pale bird of the high Arctic, the Hoary Redpoll is a rare winter visitor to southern Canada and the northern United States. During redpoll invasions, a few paler Hoary Redpolls can sometimes be spotted within flocks of Common Redpolls.

Description

• A very small pale finch.
• Bill small and conical.
• Chin black.
• Forehead red.
• Rump white.
• Undertail white.

• Size: 12-14 cm (5-6 in)
• Weight: 11-20 g (0.39-0.71 ounces)

Sex Differences

Male less streaked and with pink on chest, female without pink and more heavily streaked.

Sound

Call is a series of chittering notes with some rising, questioning notes.

Conservation Status

Because of its remote breeding and wintering areas, no information is available on population numbers or trends.

Other Names

Sizerin blanchâtre (French)
Pardillo ártico (Spanish)
Arctic Redpoll (English)

Cool Facts

• Two subspecies of Hoary Redpoll are recognized: the southern (C. h. exilpes) and the Greenland (C. h. hornemanni) forms. The southern form breeds across Canada, Alaska, and Eurasia, and is slightly darker and sleeker. The Greenland form breeds only in the very high Arctic of Greenland and neighboring Canada, and is very pale with a large white rump.
• The Hoary Redpoll will breed in open tundra, but usually in small willows and other shrubs in sheltered areas. When suitable nest sites are unavailable, it has been known to nest in cavities in driftwood.

• 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.

Sources used to construct this page:

Knox, A. G., and P. E. Lowther 2000. Hoary Redpoll (Carduelis hornemanni). In The Birds of North America, No. 544 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.