Hi! I'm pretty new to birding and have been having such a blast watching the birds come to my feeders this month. For some reason, all I ever get are Blue Jays (and LOTS of them) but occasionally I have seen House Finches, a Woodpecker and now I have a mystery bird. After searching the internet, I am almost positive it's a "Common Redpoll" -- yet everything I read about this bird says it is found way up in the northern Canada area... I have seen a few sites that says it will find it's way into the northern US occasionally during the winter, so maybe it's possible? I live in NW Iowa.
He looks like a regular Sparrow, has a red head and a red breast and has a bit of black underneath his chin. He's definitely not a House or a Purple Finch. At first I thought he was a Cassin's Finch, but once I saw a pic of a Common Redpoll, I knew this is what he has to be.
Is this rare? Or have I just not read enough about the bird yet to find out that he is in the US more often?
He looks like a regular Sparrow, has a red head and a red breast and has a bit of black underneath his chin. He's definitely not a House or a Purple Finch. At first I thought he was a Cassin's Finch, but once I saw a pic of a Common Redpoll, I knew this is what he has to be.
Is this rare? Or have I just not read enough about the bird yet to find out that he is in the US more often?