270 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



similar to the corresponding note of the Redpoll. Its song, heard 



occasionally in the winter but much more frequently in the birds' summer 



home, is a remarkably loud and rich series of trills, twitters and whistles 



suggestive of the song of a strong- voiced canary. It is one of the loudest 



and one of the most noticeable songs to be heard in the north woods." 



(Gerald Thayer) 



Acanthis hornemanni exilipes (Coues) 



Hoary Redpoll 



Aegiothus exilipes Coues. Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. PhUa. 1861. 385 



Linaria borealis DeKay. Zool. N. Y. 1844. pt 2, p. 169 



Acanthis hornemanni exilipes A. 0. U. Check List. Ed. 3. 1910. p. 247, 



No. 527a 



acanthis, Gr., name of the linnet; hornemanni, to J. W. Homemann; exilipes, Lat., 

 small-footed 



Description. Pattern of coloration similar to the common Redpoll, 

 but decidedly whiter, the sides being much less heavily streaked and the 

 upper parts more broadly edged with white; rump plain white without 

 any streaks; the wings and tail more distinctly edged with whitish; the 

 breast and rump tinged with pink as in the common species. 



For dimensions see table under rostrata. 



Distribution. The Hoary redpoU is found throughout the holarctic 

 regions- In America it breeds from Ungava to western Alaska, and 

 straggles southward in the winter as far as Maine, Massachusetts, Ontario, 

 Michigan and IlUnois. It is unfortunate that I have been unable to find 

 any actual specimens of the Hoary redpoll from New York State, but it 

 is ascribed to New York by Nuttall (see Chamberlain's edition, page 538) 

 and also reported from the vicinity of Auburn in 1854 (see paper by William 

 Hopkins read by Doctor Brewer, Proceedings Boston Society Natural 

 History, voltime 5, 1856, page 13). It is also included by DeKay in " Birds 

 of New York," but without definite statement as to specimens secured 

 in the State. It has also been reported as seen by different observers, 

 the last record coming from Otto McCreary of a specimen seen near 

 Trumansburg with Common and Greater redpolls on March 24, 1912. 

 There is little doubt that this species occurs in New York, as many speci- 



