Common Redpoll

Acanthis flammea

Stores seeds in a throat pouch to digest later in a snow burrow. Brings a packed lunch and a winter mailbag.

Population: ~250 million (Partners in Flight global breeding estimate for the pre-2024 'Common Redpoll' taxon; not independently re-derived for the post-2024 merged Acanthis flammea species, which would presumably be larger once former Hoary and Lesser Redpoll populations are folded in)
Habitat: Arctic and subarctic tundra edge with scattered willow, birch, and alder shrubs, plus open boreal spruce-pine woodland for breeding; in winter shifts to open woodlands, scrubby/weedy fields, and backyard feeders
Fun fact: Common Redpolls survive Arctic winter nights by tunneling into snow for insulated roosts and by storing extra seeds in an expandable throat pouch (esophageal diverticulum) to digest overnight while sheltering from temperatures well below freezing.
Range: Circumpolar in the northern hemisphere: breeds across northern North America (Alaska to Labrador), Greenland, Iceland, and northern Eurasia; winters irregularly (irruptively) south into the northern contiguous US, central Europe, and central Asia; also introduced/established in New Zealand
Diet: Primarily small seeds — birch, alder, willow, spruce, and pine seeds plus weed and grass seeds; supplements with spiders and insects during the breeding season; readily takes nyjer/thistle and millet at winter feeders
Size: 0.13 m
Wingspan: 0.21 m
Lifespan: 8 years

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