12 



BIRDS OF AMERICA 



streaked with dusky. Adult Male in Winter Plum- 

 age: Much Hghter colored than in summer, the pre- 

 vaiHng color of back, shoulders, and hind neck, light 

 buffy grayish-brown, distinctly streaked with dusky; the 

 pink of chest, etc.. paler (rose pink). Adult Female: 

 Similar to the male, but without any pink or red on the 

 under parts, the portions so colored on the male being 

 pale bufTy or whitish ; the seasonal differences exactly 

 as in the adult male. Young : No red on crown, the 

 whole crown being broadly streaked with dusky and 

 pale grayish buffy; sides of throat, chest, and sides of 

 breast, buffy or dull buffy whitish, streaked with dusky. 



Nest and Eggs. — Nest : Placed in trees or bushes ; 

 bulky, loosely made exteriorly of twigs and grasses, 

 warmly lined with feathers. Eggs: 2 to 5, pale bluish 

 green, speckled around large end with chestnut, burnt- 

 umber, and a few spots of black. 



Distribution. — More northern portions of northern 

 hemisphere ; breeds southward to islands in Gulf of St. 

 Lawrence ; in winter south to more northern United 

 States generally, irregularly and more rarely to Vir- 

 ginia, northern Alabama, southern Ohio, southern 

 Indiana, Kansas, Colorado, southeastern Oregon, coast 

 of Washington, etc.; casual in Bermudas. 



The home of tlie Redpoll is in the northland. 

 There he rears his family in a quiet business-like 

 wav. This accomplished he puts on his rosy 

 suit and sallies forth with the snow for a vaca- 

 tion. He joins others of his own kind and is 

 rarely found except in flocks of twenty to fifty, 



and longer ; a conversational twitter, used when 

 several birds are feeding together ; and a ker- 

 ivect, very much like the long plaintive call of 

 the Goldfinch but dififerent in tone. 



The Redpoll is very unsuspicious and often 

 allows a person to approach very closely without 



Drawing by R. I. Brashe 



REDPOLL Ci nat. size I 



and sometimes there are 200 or 300. While on 

 this winter tour the Redpolls visit and mingle 

 with their cousins the Crossbills and the Gold- 

 finches. 



When he is at home the Redpoll has little time 

 for singing — only indulging in a faint warbling 

 or twittering — but with the throwing off of 

 family responsibility he proves that he can sing 

 delightfully. His song is more melodious than 

 that of the Goldfinch ; it has the quality of the 

 Hveet call of the Goldfinch and is delivered in 

 the manner of the Goldfinch's warble. He also 

 has at least four distinct call-notes: a loud twit- 

 tering call, used when on the wing ; a long buzz, 

 not unlike one note of the Pine Siskin but thinner 



taking alarm. Should one stand still near where 

 they are feeding they will come closer and closer 

 as they feed without a sign of fear. 



The Greater Redpoll (Acanthis linarla ros- 

 trafa) is a resident of Greenland; in winter he 

 comes south through Canada to northern Illinois, 

 Alichigan, northern Indiana, southern New York 

 and Massachusetts. He looks like the Common 

 Redpoll but is of greater size and has a relatively 

 thicker and more obtuse bill. ( See Color Plate 

 -8.) J. Ellis Burdick. 



Very often when the Crossbill visits us there 

 will be found in his company the Redpoll. After 

 the stronger bird has torn open the cones the 



