ID please

[Cassillis]

Again on my feeder this morning. On the right is a male Goldfinch and i thought the one on the left was a female but I'm not so sure now looking at my books.

[barryhunt]

The bird to the left is a Lesser Redpoll, sounds like you have a good garden for birds.

Regards Barry

[Cassillis]

Originally Posted by barryhunt

The bird to the left is a Lesser Redpoll, sounds like you have a good garden for birds.

Regards Barry

Wow that's amazing two firsts for me in a day. Female blackcap and now a lesser redpoll

Thanks Barry

[Little Sparrow]

Originally Posted by Cassillis

Wow that's amazing two firsts for me in a day. Female blackcap and now a lesser redpoll

Thanks Barry

Nice going with the firsts and great pics, Cassillis!

[Merlin]

Common Redpoll is the more modern term for these birds nowadays.

[barryhunt]

Originally Posted by Merlin

Common Redpoll is the more modern term for these birds nowadays.

I didn't realise that they had lumped the Redpolls again! That makes my new Collins guide out of date already.

Barry.

A thread from birdforum may be of interest on Redpoll taxonomy www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t= 162138

[Merlin]

Sorry my mistake this is a Lesser, god its very confusing.
Collins, Bird Guide 2001 - Arctic & Common
RSPB, Birdwatchers Pocket guide 1998 - Lesser, Mealy & Acrtic
Hamlyn, Birds of Britain & Europe 1999 - Lesser, Greater, Mealy & Arctic
Dempsey Parr, Encyclopedia of British Birds 1999 - Lesser, Mealy & Acrtic
Collins, Identifying Birds 2005 - Lesser, Mealy & Arctic

What is interesting is only the last edition of Collins Bird Guide lists "Common Redpoll". But Dominic Couzens in "Identifying Birds" lists "Mealy (or Common)" And Worcester Birding have split them into Lesser, Common & Arctic. It would seem that all that is needed is for someone to state whether we are the name the Mealy-Common or the Common-Mealy and I'm not going anywhere near all the sub-species, there thats cleared things up I dont think

[barryhunt]

Hi Merlin,

Yes, it is very confusing and probably not finished yet! I did here rumours a couple of years ago that the Redpolls were to be lumped again so that is what I thought had happened but the attached thread shows that it hasn't happened yet! When I first started birding Rock & Water Pipit were the same species, Yellow-legged Gull was just a race of Herring Gull and I think Caspian Gull was unheard of in those days. Balearic Shearwater was a race of Manx Shearwater. We now have Western & Eastern Bonelli's Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler and Hume's Warbler, Olivaceous and Isabelline Warbler to name but a few which were all considered conspecific in the past, there will further splits to come I'm sure

Regards,

Barry

[clydebirder]

Originally Posted by Merlin

Common Redpoll is the more modern term for these birds nowadays.

No Common redpoll is the new name for Carduelis flammea flammea (Mealy Redpoll), C.f islandica (in with Mealy Redpoll) and C.f rostrata (Greenland Redpoll) the Brtish race Carduelis cabaret is still known as Lesser Redpoll

cheers, John

[Merlin]

Originally Posted by clydebirder

No Common redpoll is the new name for Carduelis flammea flammea (Mealy Redpoll), C.f islandica (in with Mealy Redpoll) and C.f rostrata (Greenland Redpoll) the Brtish race Carduelis cabaret is still known as Lesser Redpoll

cheers, John

Yes I had gathered that, you seem to have overlooked barryhunt's post with link and my post of 27-1-10, 9.52am