The redpolls (genus Acanthis) (in Great Britain also historically known as redpoles)[2][3] are a group of small passerine birds in the finch family Fringillidae, which have characteristic red markings on their heads. They are placed in the genus Acanthis.[4][5] The genus name Acanthis is from the Ancient Greek akanthis, a name for a small now unidentifiable bird.[6]
| Redpolls | |
|---|---|
| |
| Common redpoll in Oulu, Finland | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Passeriformes |
| Family: | Fringillidae |
| Subfamily: | Carduelinae |
| Genus: | Acanthis Borkhausen, 1797 |
| Type species | |
| Fringilla linaria[1] = Acanthis flammea Linnaeus, 1758
| |
| Species | |
|
Acanthis flammea | |
| Synonyms | |
All redpolls are northern breeding woodland species, associated with birch trees (although there are introduced populations in the southern hemisphere, New Zealand, and nearby subantarctic islands). They are small birds, brown or grey-brown above and with a red forehead patch. The adult male's breast is washed in red, but in females and young birds, the buff breast and white belly are streaked with brown. The bill is small and yellow. Some birds, particularly young ones, are difficult to assign to species.
They are primarily seed-eaters, and often feed acrobatically like a tit; their diet may include some insects in summer. They have a dry reeling song and a metallic call. They lay four to seven eggs in a nest in a tree or, in the case of the Arctic redpoll, a large bush. They can form large flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixed with other finches.
Taxonomy
editThe taxonomy of redpolls is unsettled, with several different very closely related[7] forms of redpolls which have been considered as anything from one to five species.[8] Some studies[9][10] favour three species, but this is certainly not definite. Global lists currently support either two species (the common and hoary redpoll)[11] or a single species (the common redpoll).[12] Most recently, genome-wide analyses found differences in gene expression but no genetic divergence, suggesting that plumage forms have originated recently, within a single interbreeding lineage, and do not represent species boundaries.[13]
Species
editThe species are:
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arctic redpoll or hoary redpoll
|
Acanthis hornemanni (Holbøll, 1843) Two subspecies
|
Greenland and neighbouring parts of Canada | Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| common redpoll
|
Acanthis flammea (Linnaeus, 1758) Three subspecies
|
North America and the Palearctic
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
| lesser redpoll
|
Acanthis cabaret (Müller, 1776) |
Ireland, most of Great Britain, and the Alps; range has spread considerably across central and northern Europe in recent decades
|
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
LC
|
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References
edit- ^ "Fringillidae". aviansystematics.org. The Trust for Avian Systematics. Retrieved 2023-07-16.
- ^ Oxford English Dictionary, Vol Q-R. Oxford University Press. 1971. p. 310.
- ^ Montagu, George (1831). Ornithological Dictionary of British Birds (2nd ed.). London: Hurst, Chance and Co. pp. 409–411. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
- ^ Arnaiz-Villena, Antonio; Alvarez-Tejado M.; Ruiz-del-Valle V.; García-de-la-Torre C.; Varela P; Recio M. J.; Ferre S.; Martinez-Laso J. (1998). "Phylogeny and rapid Northern and Southern Hemisphere speciation of goldfinches during the Miocene and Pliocene Epochs" (PDF). Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences. 54 (9): 1031–1041. doi:10.1007/s000180050230. PMID 9791543. S2CID 10654775.
- ^ Zuccon, Dario; Prŷs-Jones, Robert; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Ericson, Per G.P. (2012). "The phylogenetic relationships and generic limits of finches (Fringillidae)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62 (2): 581–596. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.002. PMID 22023825.
- ^ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London, United Kingdom: Christopher Helm. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ Seutin, G.; Ratcliffe, L. M. & Boag, P. T. (1995). Mitochondrial DNA homogeneity in the phenotypically diverse redpoll finch complex (Aves: Carduelinae: Carduelis flammea - hornemanni). Evolution 49(5): 962–973. doi:10.2307/2410418 (HTML abstract and first page image)
- ^ Knox, A. G. (1988). "The taxonomy of redpolls". Ardea. 76 (1): 1–26.
- ^ Herremans, M. (1990). Taxonomy and evolution in Redpolls Carduelis flammea – hornemanni; a multivariate study of their biometry. Ardea 78(3): 441–458. HTML abstract[permanent dead link]
- ^ Sangster, George; Knox, Alan G.; Helbig, Andreas J.; Parkin, David T. (2002). "Taxonomic recommendations for European birds". Ibis. 144 (1): 153–159. doi:10.1046/j.0019-1019.2001.00026.x.
- ^ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Finches, euphonias". World Bird List Version 5.4. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- ^ "Common Redpoll Carduelis flammea". Birdlife International. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
- ^ Mason, N.A.; Taylor, S.A. (2015). "Differentially expressed genes match bill morphology and plumage despite largely undifferentiated genomes in a Holarctic songbird". Molecular Ecology. 24 (12): 3009–3025. doi:10.1111/mec.13140. PMID 25735539. S2CID 4283143.
Further reading
edit- Knox, A. G., and P. E. Lowther (2000). Hoary Redpoll (Carduelis hornemanni). In The Birds of North America, No. 544 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
- Knox, A. G., and P. E. Lowther (2000). Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea). In The Birds of North America, No. 543 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.
- Marthinsen, G.; Wennerberg, L.; Lifjeld, J.T. (2008). "Low support for separate species within the redpoll complex (Carduelis flammea–hornemanni–cabaret) from analyses of mtDNA and microsatellite markers". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 47 (3): 1005–1017. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2008.03.027. PMID 18439841.
External links
edit
- Common redpoll species account - Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Common redpoll - Carduelis flammea - USGS Patuxent Bird Identification InfoCenter