This is a male redpoll (Acanthis flamea) that I have seen on the bird feeding station for a rare time in years ! I am overjoyed. :-) Their preferred habitat is moorland and woodland (I live close to it in Dartmoor National Park) and they will frequent gardens. It is the smallest of the finches in the UK. They are mainly seed eaters, preferring seeds from trees such as willows, alders, pines, spruces, birches (I saw one on Trendelbere Down in a birch tree) and birches. They will also eat other plant material such as wildflowers and grasses. In the summer their diet shifts to invertebrates, mainly insects and arachnids. They are described as an 'irruptive migrant,' meaning that they migrate unpredictably often due to food sources. On the IUCN Red List it is classed as Least Concern but with a decreasing population trend. It has an extremely large range and is native to Europe, Northern Asia, North America and Greenland. In the UK it is on the Red List due to rapid declines in the 20th Century.
@robcrank68.bsky.social #BirdOfTheDay #Feeders Here is a beautiful #male #redpoll eating #sunflower #hearts on the #feeder. I do not see them that often. Please see ALT text for more info. on this species.
