Redpolls have a lot in common

Carduelis hornemanni

The first time I saw hoary redpolls in Minnesota was north of Grand Marais in December. A dozen of them decorated a small tree. From a distance, I couldn't see their red caps (polls). They looked like light, bright birds. (The hoary in their name means white.)

The last time I saw hoary redpolls was this summer in Alaska's Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. They nest on the tundra there. Extra feather insulation and the ability to store food in a throat pouch to eat later helps them survive the cold. I saw them sunning themselves on tree stumps washed up by a flooding river. On that flat, featureless landscape, the stumps were the only places they could perch.

See them in winter

Winter is the only time we're likely to see hoary redpolls in Minnesota. The birds sometimes drift down from breeding grounds that stretch from Alaska into Canada's high Arctic country.

At feeders

Their cousins, common redpolls, are more likely to visit feeders. (Thistle seed is a good lure.) Commons are expected to be more numerous this winter. They're among the finch species predicted to move south of their usual range because of thin seed crops in northern birches and conifers.

Common redpolls often travel in flocks that range from a couple dozen to hundreds of birds. Watch weedy fields for rolling waves of birds skittishly moving from side to side. And look closely. There could be a hoary redpoll among them.

Who's who?

Both species of redpolls have red caps, but the common redpoll is darker overall, with more streaking on its breast, stomach and flanks. The hoary is a lightly marked pale bird with a smaller bill.

Still, it can be difficult to tell these redpolls apart, because the markings on individual birds can vary. Hoary redpolls have distinctive white feathers beneath the tail. It's a little hard to see those feathers unless you could grab a redpoll (gently, of course) and turn it over.