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Photo: Cephas · CC BY-SA 3.0 ↗
Acanthis flammea
Redpoll
A small red-crowned finch; this entry treats the redpoll forms together.
A recording has not been added yet. Use the identification notes below for now.
I know this bird · Record a sighting Where to look & how to find it ↓FIELDCRAFT · FIND WITH CARE
Finding guide
Choose the season, find the habitat, then watch patiently. Search guidance is not a measure of rarity or conservation status.
- When to go
- All year; additional autumn and winter visitors
- Where to start
- Watch foliage and trunks from public paths through mature woodland.
- What to do when you arrive
- Search seed-bearing birch branches for small finch flocks and check red crowns and streaking. Follow the taxonomy notes and avoid forcing an identification of distant birds.
Habitat and behaviour reference: BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · The practical steps are editorial advice based on the references, not live sightings.
How to identify it
Small yellowish bill, black chin and streaked plumage. Adults have a red crown; males may have pink breasts, juveniles lack red. Irish cabaret birds are browner; forms may not be separable from a photo.
Habitat
Woodland, mature trees, wooded edges and gardens.
Behaviour
Often feeds in flocks on birch and alder seeds.
When to look
All year; additional autumn and winter visitors
Where to look
Watch foliage and trunks from public paths through mature woodland.
Reference photos do not show every sex, age, season or geographic form; use the identification notes too.
Further reading:BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · BTO · Redpoll taxonomy ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
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