Common Redpoll
(Acanthis flammea)

Overview

Summary

© Jukka Jantunen (flickr.com/photos/jukka_jantunen)
For additional photos and vocalizations, visit Dendroica. (Link opens in a new window.)

The Common Redpoll is an abundant and widespread breeder of Canada's Boreal and Taiga regions and Arctic plains. The Christmas Bird Count is the best source of status information available and demonstrates the well-known biannual fluctuations in the population, driven by cycles in tree seed-crop production, especially spruce and birch (Knox and Lowther 2000a). Results suggest a large increase since the early 1970s. However, the quality of the data available means this assessment is considered to have low reliability.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe
• North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS): Relative Abundance and Breeding Distribution (1970-2016)

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation

General nesting period in Canada

Conservation and management

The Common Redpoll breeds in areas where habitat is less likely to be directly affected by humans (Knox and Lowther 2000a). In winter, it overlaps with human populations. Salmonella infections at bird feeders during winter months may be a source of mortality (Knox and Lowther 2000a) but are not known to significantly influence population changes. There is currently little conservation concern for this species.

Bird conservation region strategies

Environment and Climate Change Canada and partners have developed Bird Conservation Region Strategies in each of Canada’s Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs). In these strategies, selected species are identified as priorities for one or more of the following reasons:

• conservation concerns (i.e., species vulnerable due to population size, distribution, population trend, abundance, or threats)
• stewardship responsibilities (i.e., species that typify the regional avifauna or have a large proportion of their range or population in the sub-region)
• management concerns (i.e., species that require ongoing management because of their socio-economic importance as game species, or because of their impacts on other species or habitats)
• other concerns (i.e., species deemed a priority by regional experts for other reasons than those listed above or because they are listed as species at risk or concern at the provincial level)

Select any of the sub-regions below to view the BCR strategy for additional details.

References

• Knox, A.G. and P.E. Lowther. 2000a. Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. Knox, A.G. and P.E. Lowther. 2000a. Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea), The Birds of North America Online (A. Poole, Ed.). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. (Link)