COMMON REDPOLL 419 



fall migration in the valley of the George River. Harrison F. Lewis 

 (1939) has reported a similar movement near Moosonie, Ontario. 



The southward incursions of redpolls in some years are almost 

 certainly related to conditions — whether deep snows, ice storms, or 

 actual failure of the catkin crop — that reduce the availability of 

 food in thek breeding grounds, but our knowledge of conditions in 

 the subarctic is still too scanty to permit correlations. 



Redpolls winter throughout the subarctic from Alaska to Labrador. 

 Periods of bad weather cause them to disappear from their usual 

 haunts, in alder and willow thickets which remain uncovered by 

 drifting snows, perhaps to concentrate in sheltered woodlands. But 

 once the storms are past, they disperse again and enliven the northern 

 scene with their incessant chatter and trim, often colorful, forms. 



Distribution 



Range. — Alaska, Mackenzie, Quebec, and Ai'ctic Eurasia to central 

 United States, the Mediterranean, China, and Japan. 



Breeding range. — The common redpoll breeds from northern 

 Scandinavia, northern Russia, north central Siberia, western a,nd 

 central Alaska (Kobuk River Valley, Nulato, Circle), central Yukon 

 (Ogilvie Range), northern Mackenzie (Mackenzie Delta, Franklin 

 Bay, mouth of Kogaryuak), northern Keewatin, northern Manitoba 

 (Churchill), northern Ontario (Fort Severn), northern Quebec (Rich- 

 mond Gulf, Sugluk, Fort Chimo), northern Labrador (Nachvak), and 

 Newfoundland south to the Baltic, former East Prussia, Poland, 

 central Russia, Altai, Sakhalin Island, Kamchatka, the Komandorskie 

 Islands, southern Alaska (Dutch Harbor, Kodiak Island), northern 

 British Columbia (Atlin), northern Alberta (probably Chipewyan), 

 southern Saskatchewan (casually, Mortlach), northern Manitoba 

 (Cochrane River, York Factory), northern Ontario (Lake Attawapis- 

 kat), central and southeastern Quebec, the Magdalen Islands (Grosse 

 He), and Newfoundland. Has been taken in summer in southeastern 

 Alaska (Thomas Bay) and central British Columbia (Fort George). 



Winter range. — Winters from the British Isles, southern Scandinavia, 

 central Russia, central Siberia, central Alaska (Nulato, Fairbanks), 

 southwestern Mackenzie (Fort Simpson), northern Alberta (Wood 

 Buffalo Park), northern Manitoba (Theitaga-Tua Lake), northern 

 Michigan (Isle Royale, Sault Ste. Marie), central Ontario (EganviUe), 

 southern Quebec (Cap Rouge, Gaspe), central Labrador (Nain), and 

 central Newfoundland south to France, Italy, Yugoslavia, Turkey, 

 Caucasus, China (Kiangsi), Korea, and Japan (northern Kyushu); 

 and to western Oregon (Eugene), northeastern California (Eagle 

 Lake), northern Nevada (Ruby Lake), northeastern Utah (Uinta 



646-737 — 68 — pt. 1 29 



