Key information
This tiny finch - only slightly bigger than a blue tit - is streaky and brown with patches of red on its head and sometimes its breast. They like to hang upside down to feed in trees. It has recently been 'split' from the mealy (or common) redpoll, a larger and paler species which is a winter visitor to the UK.
What they eat:
Seeds, particularly of birch and alder, plus plants like willowherb and sorrel, but they also visit bird feeders.
Measurements:
- Length:
- 11.5cm
- Wingspan:
- 20-22.5cm
- Weight:
- 9-12g
Population:
- UK breeding:
- 220,000 pairs
Identifying features:
Lesser redpoll
