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A little bit of nice weather and the movement of migratory birds immediately becomes visible. Common redpolls have only nested a couple of times in Estonia but since October they have been passing in large numbers and they move in groups which sometimes even consist of thousands of birds. The number of common redpolls who are wintering in Estonia is fluctuating very much from year to year. During frosty weather we may see them near the bird feeders and always in groups.

 

Redpolls are pretty and not particularly afraid of people. The carmine red forehead and the yellow beak with a dark tip are well noticeable. The back and the sides of the little bird are striped lengthwise, with greyish brown plumage. Male birds have a pinkish breast to show off. The colour of the plumage is variable between individuals, some may even lack the species characteristic  - the red forehead.

 

Common redpoll observations: LINK