Arctic Redpoll
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| Arctic Redpoll | ||||||||||||||
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| Carduelis hornemanni (Holboll, 1843) |
The Arctic Redpoll, Carduelis hornemanni, is a species of the finch family, Fringillidae. It breeds in tundra birch forest. It has two subspecies, C. h. hornemanni (Greenland Arctic Redpoll) of Greenland and neighbouring parts of Canada, and C. h. exilipes, which breeds in the tundra of northern North America (where it is known as the Hoary Redpoll) and Eurasia. Many birds remain in the far north; some birds migrate short distances south in winter, sometimes travelling with Common Redpolls.
The Greenland race is a very large and pale bird, with the male sometimes described as a "snowball", but both forms are pale with small beaks, white rumps and often more yellow than grey-brown tones in their plumage. The females are more streaked on their breasts, sides and rumps, but are still pale.
The binomial commemorates the Danish botanist Jens Wilken Hornemann.
