Lesser or Mealy Redpoll??? (1 Viewer)

Hi all,

This is my first post so I hope someone can help me! I've had an unusual Redpoll visiting my garden in Milton Keynes since the New Year. I didn't realise that it was unusual at first as this was the first redpoll I had seen, then a further 8-9 redpolls very different looking redpolls turned up... (and started eating me out of house and home!)
The original bird is slightly larger and generally much paler than the others, it also has a very prominent pink flush on it's chest and rump which is not really present on the darker (presumably lesser) redpolls. Finally it has been ringed which leads me to suspect that this is probably more than just a lesser.
Please have a look at the two pics below, one is of the bird on it's own and one is a side by side comparison with one of the smaller, darker redpolls.

Comparison

Mealy Redpoll???

Many thanks

Kenny

That is definitely a Lesser, not a Mealy Redpoll. Lessers are fairly variable and range from very small and very dark to slightly larger and paler. This bird, however, is a Lesser for the following reasons:

- the upperparts are too brown: they would be greyish or pale greyish-brown on Mealy.
- the wingbars are wrong. The fact that the wingbars are buffy brown rather than white is diagnostic of Lesser. (confusingly, though, some Lessers have white wingbars).
- it has a brownish wash on the head which Mealy typically lacks.
- whilst it does seem large for Lesser, its head is small relative to the body, and it lacks the 'bull-necked' appearance of Mealy.
- I'm fairly sure thay Mealy in winter pretty much always lacks extensive red on the underside.

Redpolls are tricky, I have made one or two mistakes myself over the past few years, but this one is definitely a Lesser!

aythya_hybrid said:

That is definitely a Lesser, not a Mealy Redpoll. Lessers are fairly variable and range from very small and very dark to slightly larger and paler.

Click to expand...

Agreed, male Lesser.

3rd'd