LESSER, MEALY AND HOARY: the world of redpolls

THE only redpoll that breeds frequently in the UK is the lesser redpoll (Acanthis cabaret). A little larger than a blue tit, this is the smallest of the redpolls. It is darker, more heavily streaked and more richly coloured than the other two redpoll species. In summer, the male’s cheek, throat, breast and rump display pink.

Although it is on the UK Red List due to its decline in this country, elsewhere its range has increased, from Scandinavia to as far south as Spain. In winter, British lesser redpolls – which are more plentiful in the North and Wales – migrate southward, sometimes as far as the Continent. The lesser has a more southerly range than the other redpoll species and was first bred in France in 1983. It’s now breeding regularly in Germany, Austria and elsewhere. The brightest