FINCHES, SPARROWS 



(528) Acanthis linaria linSria 



(Linn.) (Gr., linnet; Lat., flaxen). 



REDPOLL. Ad. cf — Plumage 

 as shown; 9 has no rosy tints. 

 L., S-So; W., 3.00; T., 2.40; B., .33. 



Range — Breeds in northern Can- 

 ada. Winters south to Va., Ohio, 

 Kan., and CaL (528a.) HOL- 

 BOELL'S REDPOLL (A. hol- 

 btt'IH). Larger; L., 6.00; W., 3.25. 

 Boreal regions. (5 28b) GREATER 

 REDPOLL (A. 1. rostrata). Larger 

 and darker. Greenland. 

 (527) Acanthis hornemanni 

 hornemanni {Haib } 



GREENLAND REDPOLL. Large 

 and light colored. Resident in Green- 

 land. (52 7a) HOARY REDPOLL 

 (A. h. exilipes). Light colored; no 

 yellowish; white rump. Arctic coast; 

 south casually to Mass. and Mich. 



crowned, occurs east to the Mississippi River and then only 

 during exceptionally severe winters. They are birds of 

 mountainous regions, keeping well up to the snow line, even 

 during the nesting season. 



REDPOLLS are boreal birds, breeding only in the northern 

 parts of our continent. They are very abundant in their 

 summer quarters and many of them remain in the same 

 localities during winter. However, at this season, food is so 

 much more difficult to obtain that the greater part of them 

 move southward and troop through our Northern States in 

 large flocks. While with us they may be found wherever 

 weeds are plentiful, feeding upon seeds of these until snow 

 entirely covers them and then resorting to birches for buds 

 and seeds. 



They have sweet, musical call notes, quite similar to 

 those of the Goldfinch, to which species they are very closely 

 related. They also have a sweet, wild song, but this is 

 seldom heard except in their summer homes. They are 

 very sociable, always in flocks while with us, and never 



296 



