Redpolls or Linnets? (1 Viewer)

[willie45]

Hi

I'm struggling a bit with identifying some birds feeding on niger seeds in our garden. The wife and I have decided they are either Lesser Redpolls iwth some Common Redpolls ( whiter greyer look?) or Lesser Redpolls with Linnetts.

According to our bird DVD the Linnetts have white streaks on the lower wings but on the same DVD the Redpolls look to have some of these too

We're a bit confused. Any advice on telling the difference between these species would be most welcome

Thanks

Willie

 

[Nature__lover]

Hi!
I'll be honest, i have not seen redpolls or linnets.
But, I do know that although both species have a pinkish flush to the chest, the redpoll is the only one with a red/pink blotch on the top of his head.

Redpolls are well known for feeding on nyger seed, so I'm guessing it is a redpoll.

 

[stevo]

Easiet way of seperating the species is Redpolls have a bright red patch(called a poll)hence their name directly above their bills.Coupled with the fact hey are slightly smaller than Linnets & have smaller conical shaped bill.When you watch Redpolls feeding at feeders they almost hop from their perch to the feeder.

Steve.

 

[willie45]

Thanks for the advice chaps. I am pretty sure we have lesser redpolls and possibly common redpolls. I will try for a picture of the disputed species if I can

Willie

 

[Neil-T]

Hope these 2 pictures help you out a little, I can see why some people mistake Linnet for Redpoll, especially if you have a juvenile redpoll or you see it from the side or below.

 

[Seraphina]

Redpolls

To take this one step further can anyone tell me the difference between a common redpoll and a mealy redpoll?

 

[Simon Wates]

To take this one step further can anyone tell me the difference between a common redpoll and a mealy redpoll?

Try downloading the pdf from this:

http://www.uk400clubonline.co.uk/separation-of-lesser-and-mealy-redpoll/

 

[Seraphina]

Thanks very much - very interesting and helpful. I will study the 30 - 40 redpolls which daily descend on my nyjer feeders (and the ground beneath them) and try to identify them.

 

[birding maniac]

To take this one step further can anyone tell me the difference between a common redpoll and a mealy redpoll?

Common and Mealy are the same species, COmmon is the american name for Mealy.
In the Uk we have 3 species:
Lesser C. Cabaret, which is the breeding resident and traditionally the smallest and 'brownest'
Mealy or Common, C.Flammea is traditional larger and paler, and has a few races.
Arctic is the third and the rarest (in the Uk). Two races- Coues' and Hornemman's (

 

[SteveClifton]

Common and Mealy are the same species, Common is the american name for Mealy.
(

Not strictly true.
Mealy Redpoll is a subspecies of Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea). More specifically, it is the nominate subspecies of Common Redpoll, and is therefore known as C.f.flammea.

The first part of the name “Carduelis” denotes a redpoll species.
The second part “flammea” denotes the species name (Common Redpoll), and the third part, also "flammea" in this case, denotes the subspecies name (Mealy Redpoll).

There are at least two other subspecies of Common Redpoll:

Icelandic Redpoll = C. f. Islandica

Greenland Redpoll = C. f. rostrata

The fact that flammea is the most often encountered subspecies of Common Redpoll here in the UK, probably accounts for why the two names Mealy and Common Redpoll have become interchangeable. However, the other two forms do also regularly occur in the UK in small numbers, mainly on the Northern Isles in Autumn.

 

[martin kitching]

The first part of the name “Carduelis” denotes a redpoll species.

Or a greenfinch, goldfinch, siskin, linnet or twite...

cheers
martin

 

[Tiraya]

The name orginates from the Goldfinch, where Carduelis derives from the latin name for a group of thistles.