Hoary Redpoll

The hoary redpoll is a small member of the finch family that lives up near the Arctic Circle. They are a circumpolar species, with a range that includes northern Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Europe and Asia. In Europe and Asia they are referred to the Arctic redpoll. In North America they sometimes migrate down to southern Canada and the northern United States during the winter where they are often mixed in with flocks of common redpoll. The two species look very similar however the common redpoll, which has a range just south of the hoary redpoll, usually has more red on the chest and less white on their wings. We do occasionally see them in northern Minnesota, at locations like the Sax Zim Bog where this photo was taken.