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Twite ID Scotland (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Baldoon57
- Start date
It's not an easy one, but I strongly suspect this is a juvenile Redpoll. The strong double wing bars favour that species, as does it being perched in a tree. I suspect it's also much more likely in your area at this time of year. Did you hear any calls?
No I never heard anything, as you said it's usually about October before I see any and that's normaly near the sea, this was about seven miles inland beside a pond.
JayFeatherPL
Well-known member
The bird doesn't have a black chin or a black forehead. It also doesn't have a black stripe on the undertail coverts. I think a redpoll, even a juvenile, would show these features?
Bewick
Connoisseur of WTL
ML181850321 - Lesser Redpoll - Macaulay Library
ML608721783 - Redpoll (Lesser) - Macaulay Library
Macaulay Library ML608721783; © Éric Francois Roualet; Oppland, Norway
Developing juveniles do seem to have slight out amount of black, just much reduced compared to adult birds- the bird in the photo seems to have a dark shade under the bill. Do not believe you would be able make out the black streaks on the undertail covert due the quality of the image and the second ebird image I shared seems to suggest that the streaking on the undertail covert is more vague compared to adult birds.
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Recently fledged juvenile Redpolls don't show these, although this bird seems to be getting a bit of black coming through on the lores. This points towards a Redpoll and not to the other possibilities. This bird looks exactly like I would expect a recently fledged juvenile Redpoll to look at this time of year.
JayFeatherPL
Well-known member
Ok, thanks for explaining! And by the way, why can't it be a twite? It also shows a white wingbar, streaking breast, plain chin, big yellow bill and the main colour is rather buff, just like on the photo!
Alexander Stöhr
Well-known member
Hello,
yes its easy to write this= thanks Andrew and all!
I have seen only a few juvenile Twite many years ago, but looking at pictures and comparing them to juvenile Redpolls, the following favours Redpoll imo:
yes its easy to write this= thanks Andrew and all!
I have seen only a few juvenile Twite many years ago, but looking at pictures and comparing them to juvenile Redpolls, the following favours Redpoll imo:
- the clear whitish wingbar on the median coverts
- the lack of a darker, heavily streaked, "cap", crown
- the pale, cream hues in the face, should be darker, more intense, ochrus or curry in a juvenile Twite
