The main discussion in The Netherlands is why this bird is not just a pale
example of a Mealy Redpoll (Flammea). Some critical people has the opinion
that this bird is not an Arctic redpoll because:
- The mantle is too dark (lacks the whitish base colour).
Diagree. I think this photo shows that there is the white base in the centre.
http://www.birdforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=34694
- Flanks too heavy streaked.
At the extreme end perhaps, but very neat, not 'messy' like Mealy.
- The bill is too large.
Personally, I don't place too much importance on this feature and I can't find a photo which shows the bill well enough in profile anyway.
- Eear-coverts too dark.
Not as 'hollow-cheeked' as some but still not extreme.
- White supercilium not reaching above the bill.
This is a new feature to me so cna't comment.
- and especially the bird lacks the well known "jizz" of an Arctic Redpoll
(not like an "frosty snowball", neckless, bulky, fluffy, etc.).
Well, only the extremes are frsoty snowballs. Usually just hornemanni but some exilipes can be described like this. Is it significant that the exilipes illustrated in the Rare Birds of Netherlands book is the palest I've ever seen? To me this does look very bull-necked. The 'fluffiness' may be noticeable in the hand, but is not a field feature IMO.
Some people think that all the features shown by this bird are possible for
Mealy Redpoll. Is this right?
Personally, I find the most worrying feature is the amount of buff on the outer greater coverts and some of the other wing feathers, which I woudl expect to be more or less white.
It is an interesting bird, and rather borderline, but I would say it was an exilipes Arctic if it turned up in Shetland.
We had a similarly difficult bird in 2004 - see
http://www.nature-shetland.co.uk/naturelatest/birdarchive04oct.htm and look at 15th and 9th October. Looking at that bird again it was very small-billed, pale-cheeked and sparsely streaked compared to this bird.
Now I'm off to read Paul Baxter's comments properly and I may be back!