Scientific name: Carduelis flammea (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bird group: Finches and Crossbills
Field characters. 13 cm. Resembles Linnet and Twite. Both sexes are mainly brown with streaks on neck, upperparts and flanks, two whitish wing bars, white belly, dark flight feathers, dark forked tail and yellowish bill. Male has red forehead and often also cheeks, black chin, red unstreaked breast, often extending onto flanks and upper belly, and pink rump. Female has red crown and black chin, but is strongly streaked on breast; rump is streaked and brown. Juvenile brown and streaked, distinguished from Linnet by two wing bars, no white in wing and from Twite also by lack of white in wing and tail. Mealy Redpoll C. f. flammea from Scandinavia is larger than Lesser Redpoll C. cabaret (Western and Central Europe to Southern Scandinavia), with greyer upperparts, whiter underparts, paler, streaked rump and slightly different call. Greater Redpoll C. f. rostrata (Iceland) is larger and has a heavier bill than flammea. Outside breeding season in flocks, often with other finches. Flight undulating.
Voice. In flight, rapid 'tjètjètjè' and 'tsooee'. Song rapid trills, admixed with calls.
Distribution. Common summer visitor in Scandinavia, locally common resident in Alps, British Isles and low countries, winter visitor elsewhere.
Habitat. Breeds in open birch- and alder woods, also in hedges, dunes, near marshes, etc. In winter, prefers birch woods, but frequently also on arable fields, wasteland, and in parks.
Food. Mainly seeds of trees and weeds, also invertebrates in summer.