Formerly included in the genus Carduelis. This is a juvenile Common Redpoll lacking the red forehead of adults. Note the buff wing-bars characteristic of juveniles. They quickly molt out of this plumage into an adult female-like plumage during late summer/early fall. The breeding population of Redpolls in Iceland is controversial. Most are large and dark, similar to A. f. rostrata from Greenland, Baffin Island, and Northern Labrador, but with shorter bill and wings, and paler rump. Although considered a synonym of rostrata by HBW, IOC and H&M4, Amouret et al. (2015) found them to be identifiable as a valid subspecies following Amadon's 75% rule. A recent genetic study (Mason & Taylor, 2015) found that all redpolls were similar in genetics. Their study found Redpoll phenotypic variation is a result of RNA expressing plumage differences without differences in DNA. They advocate lumping all the Redpolls into a single species. The AOS check-list committee reportedly voted to adopt their suggestion but the change has not been published because of concern over reports of assortative mating between the putative species.
