Redpoll
Acanthis flammea
Frosty northern finch fond of colder climates. Petite yellow bill, plump body, and long notched tail. Note small red cap, as well as black face and throat. Males can show pink wash on breast. Irruptive species that moves south in numbers only some years. Breeds in open forests and tundra with willows. Visits feeders; favors nyjer seed. Can be found in large flocks. Sometimes with goldfinches and siskins. Listen for their chattering calls ringing through the desolate winter landscape. Formerly included Common, Hoary, and Lesser Redpolls, now treated as one species.
Taxonomy
- Scientific name
- Acanthis flammea
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Acanthis
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
Black-backed Oriole
Icterus abeillei
Attractive orange-and-black oriole endemic to central Mexico, where it takes the place of Bullock’s Oriole (of western North America). Favors open woods, plantations, hedges with tall trees, and towns; migrants also occur in pine-oak forest in mountains. Feeds at all levels in trees and bushes, mixing readily with other orioles. Yellow-orange plumage of male distinct from purer orange of other orioles; also note the big white wing panel, black nape and cheeks, and black flanks. Female very similar to female Bullock’s Oriole but shows ghosting of male head pattern.
Blue-billed Teal
Spatula hottentota
Small brownish duck with a blue bill, dark cap, and a dark smudge on the pale tan cheek. In flight, look for white, black, and green stripes on the wing. Found on freshwater wetlands, lakes, and rice paddies, at low to moderate elevations. Combination of small size, blue bill, and cheek marking separate it from all other ducks and grebes.
Black-backed Tanager
Stilpnia peruviana
Beautiful multicolored tanager found in coastal forests, forest edges, and gardens where it forages in pairs or small groups. Males are blue-green below with a cinnamon head, black mask, black back, and straw-colored rump, vent, and wing coverts. Females are duller and have a green back and wings with a cinnamon vent and lack the male’s mask. They are essentially identical to female Chestnut-backed Tanagers. The call is an extremely high-pitched “si.”
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