Beverly Shores, Indiana, 8 February 2009

Analysis. Late in the morning on 8 February 2009 I was watching a flock of 40+ Common Redpolls at a feeding station

at a private residence in Beverly Shores, Indiana, when the bird pictured in both photos above flew in and began to feed.

It was much lighter than the Commons, so it really stood out. The streaking on the breast is lighter and thinner than is

typically seen in Common Redpolls, as is clear from the photos. There is no streaking on the undertail coverts. The rump

appears to be white (modulo the small dark smudge on the outer base of the rump, visible in both photos). The mantle

and nape are much whiter than is typically seen in Common Redpolls. There is more white smudging on the wing than

is typical in Common Redpolls. There is a faint hint of frosty pink on the upper breast (more visible in the first photo,

above). In his blogspot, (see his 1 December 2007 post) David Sibley mentions two additional features more typical of Hoary,

rather than Common, Redpoll: (1)‘’fluffy” leggings, and (2) a tendency to point the tail up when foraging; both of these

features are apparent in the bird pictured above. For comparison, here is a link to two photos of Common Redpolls taken

at the same site on the same day.