Redpoll Acanthis flammea (Linnaeus, 1758)
Skaw, Whalsay, Shetland Isles © Nigel Milbourne 2011
The taxonomy of the Redpolls has been in constant flux over recent times, but it seems that the three former species have now been pronounced as conspecific, so the British list will be reduced by one, and we will be dealing with two subspecies locally, the former Lesser Redpoll and the Common (Mealy) Redpoll. As both have previous species have been recorded at Blagdon Lake, the changes will mean a further reduction to the site list. This change has not been reflected in the official British List as yet, but I am going to pre-empt the change in the light of the IOC decision refelected in IOC list 14.2.
The relevant IOC recommendation is to: “treat all of the redpoll taxa as conspecific with the English name ‘Redpoll’; following Chesser et al. (2024) based on genomic homogeneity, continuous phenotypic variation, overlapping habitat, and lack of evidence of prolonged isolation (Mason & Taylor 2015, Funk et al. 2021).” (Source BTO).
(Lesser) Redpoll Acanthis flammea cabaret (Linnaeus, 1758)
Very scarce, passage migrant & winter visitor. May occur between October & April.
Common (Mealy) Redpoll Acanthis flammea flammea (Müller, PLS, 1776)
Very rare, passage migrant. May occur between October & April.
- One, not aged, 14th Dec. 1965 (R.S. Harkness).
- One, not aged, 17th Jan. 2005 (N. Voaden).
- One, not aged, 18th Nov. 2012 (N.R. Milbourne).
Bibliography (sources of information):
- Davis, H.H. (ed.) Somerset Birds, 1965. Somersetshire Archaeol. & Nat. Hist. Soc.
- Davis, A.H. (ed.) Avon Bird Report, 1996. Avon Ornithological Group.
- Rose, Dr H.E. (ed.) Avon Bird Report, 2012. Avon Ornithological Group.
- Rose, Dr H.E. (ed.) Avon Bird Report, 2021. Avon Ornithological Group.
Last update: 13th December 2024