Hoary Redpoll
(Acanthis hornemanni)

Overview

Summary

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

The Hoary Redpoll is difficult to monitor because it breeds in far northern Canada and winters primarily throughout remote parts of the boreal forest. The species exhibits a 2-year cycle of irruptive winter movements in some regions, associated with seed availability (Knox and Lowther 2000b). Christmas Bird Count results suggest a large increase since about 1970, but since this survey only covers the southern edge of the wintering range, reliability of the assessment is considered low. This species has been identified as a priority for conservation and/or stewardship in one or more Bird Conservation Region Strategies in Canada.

Designations

Population status

Population estimate

Distribution maps

• BirdLife International / NatureServe
• Birds of North America Online

Migration strategy, occurrence

Responsibility for conservation

General nesting period in Canada

Conservation and management

The Hoary Redpoll usually winters in different areas year- to-year making it less susceptible to local habitat loss (Knox and Lowther 2000b). With its extensive and remote breeding and wintering grounds, there are no known management concerns for this species (Knox and Lowther 2000b).

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