Hoary or Common Repoll (1 Viewer)

[nikovich]

Hi guys ,

This handsome fellow just landed in the backyard and decided to pose for me.
I don't see any pink on this birds breast , or streaking , except on the primaries.
The bill doesn't look as short as it could do for Hoary , but I'm not certain it's a Common either. Hybrid ?

thanks for any comments

Nick

Saskatchewan , Canada

 

[Gentoo]

tricky one indeed. I'm giong to take a guess at it being a Common. I don't think Hoary (arctic) Redpoll has streaking on the undertail coverts and this one does. It is rather pale looking for a Commn but as you also mentioned the bill looks longer than Hoary's.

 

[Gentoo]

...but wait, there are two forms of Hoary Redpoll that could occur as well. The smaller one (who's scientific name I forget now) I believe may have a few features that the nononant hornmanni may not have. Will wait for thos better able to explain this to chime in.

 

[nikovich]

I should have tried for some photos of the bird from the front , but didn't want to scare it away, however , the breast was pure white.

 

[Steven Astley]

Heavy flank streaking and fairly extensive dark area on the undertail coverts, the red area on the rump make it a common according to current literature. Its not an adult male hence does not have a reddish flush to breast.
At least that how I would view it if it was on this side of the pond.

 

[cavan wood]

No expert here, but that amount of streaking on the undertail coverts would suggest common (flammea). The background colour is a bit brown I think as well for hoary (hornemanni). Here's another common that looks much like yours, unless it's mislabelled. That's my guess, but I have a good chance of error on this one.
http://images.google.ca/imgres?imgurl=http://www.1000birds.com/images/Common-Redpoll17592.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.1000birds.com/reports_DUL-CommonRedpoll.htm&h=400&w=640&sz=48&hl=en&start=13&tbnid=pwgS8EwiWgSg3M:&tbnh=86&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcommon%2Bredpoll%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D

Scott

 

[nikovich]

Well, thanks for the replies guys - maybe I'll see a real Hoary in the backyard one day - that's the 2nd false alarm now in 2 months !!

 

[AlexC]

...but wait, there are two forms of Hoary Redpoll that could occur as well. The smaller one (who's scientific name I forget now) I believe may have a few features that the nononant hornmanni may not have. Will wait for thos better able to explain this to chime in.

Just to add some taxonomic fun to the convo, Clements refers to 4 subspecies of Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea): Nominate flammea, which Sibley dubs "Southern"; rostrata, or "Greenland"; islandica (range restricted to Iceland), and the exclusively European Lesser (Common) Redpoll, C. f. cabarat. Clements then gives 2 Hoary/Arctic Redpoll subspecies: C. h. hornemanni - Sibley's "Greenland/Hornemann's"; and C. h. exilipes, or "Southern".

Now as for your bird, Sibley has a good illustration of Redpoll tails that strengthen my belief that it is, in fact, a young or female "Southern" (nominate flammea) Common Redpoll.

 

[nikovich]

Thankyou for the other observations - I'm looking at my Sibleys now and would have to agree