Appearance: Commonly known as the “winter finch”, the common redpoll is a small bird about 5″ long. It’s a heavily streaked bird with a bright red crown, a black spot beneath the chin, and raspberry splotch on its chest. In winter the breast becomes much redder/pink. The female is similar except without the raspberry chest and in winter adopts whiter underparts.
Winter diet: Seeds mostly. In winter flocks, they’ll feed on the ground or in seed-bearing trees
Winter feeder food: Black-oil sunflower seed, hulled sunflower seed, and nyjer.
Winter habitat: In winter, most common redpoll leave their breeding area of northern Canada and head south – as far south as the US states of Washington, Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan, and New York. Yet many remain in their year-round location in northern Quebec, Newfoundland, the Yukon territory, and Alaska. A few may show up even further south but those instances are infrequent. They prefer open areas lined with trees.
Range Map
