Arctic Redpoll sp.
Carduelis h. hornemanni/exilipes (Holböll, 1843) (0, 3)/(Coues, 1862)
Photo © By Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom - Arctic Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni), CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45358527
STATUS
Holarctic. Polytypic. Two races occur in Britain: nominate hornemanni and exilipes.
OVERVIEW
Just the one accepted indeterminate record of the two Arctic Redpoll races that occur in Britain.
1950-57 RECORD
1). 1953 Suffolk Lowestoft Denes, two, 19th October; another, 21st October.
(P. R. Westall, Suffolk Bird Report 1953: 222; Eds., British Birds 49: 409-410; Payn, 1978; Piotrowski, 2003).
History P. R. Westall (1953) in the Suffolk Bird Report, p. 222, says: 'Two, Lowestoft denes, Oct. 19th, and one on 21st with three Mealy Redpolls and some Bramblings (H.E.J.) - satisfactory details received, included white unspotted and unstriated lower breast, belly, flanks and rump, and the general impression of a grey and white bird; face, nape and back very light greyish brown, with some darker speckling; wing coverts broadly edged white, and, in flight, the secondaries showed a fair amount of very light grey. The first record for Suffolk.'
Piotrowski (2003) says there were three individuals, the one on the 21st being another.
NOT PROVEN
0). 1900 Fair Isle No locality, autumn.
(W. E. Clarke, Annals of Scottish Natural History 1911: 53; Hartert et al., 1912).
[Pennington et al., 2004].
History W. E. Clarke (1911) in the Annals of Scottish Natural History, Vol. XX. p. 53, under 'Birds observed at Fair Isle during the year 1910', says: 'The observations on the movements of birds at this famous station have been systematically and successfully prosecuted throughout the past year by Mr. Jerome Wilson.
Her Grace the Duchess of Bedford visited the island during both the spring and autumn passage periods, and contributed very materially to the results obtained. Thanks to facilities afforded by Her Grace, I was enabled to visit Fair Isle during May, and saw much migration. As a full account of the various bird visitors to Fair Isle, now 198 in number, with particulars of their times of appearance, and other information, is in an advanced stage and will be shortly published, it is not proposed to do more here than mention the new species which came under notice in 1910....These were the Hoary Redpoll (Acanthis exilipes), Holböll's Redpoll (A. linaria holböelli), the Great Titmouse (Parus major), Bewick's Swan (Cygnus bewicki), the King Eider (Somateria spectabilis), the Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius), and the Yellowshank (Totanus flavipes). The two first and the last are new to the fauna of Scotland.
Hartert et al. (1912: 13) erroneously say: 'One Fair Isle autumn 1900 (W. E. Clarke, Ann. S.N.H. 1911, p. 53).'
Comment Pennington et al. (2004) say: 'It is an error for one of the records in 1910.
0). 1906 Lothian Near Edinburgh, 19th December.
(J. M. Dewar, Zoologist 1907: 31).
[Not in Baxter & Rintoul, 1953].
History J. M. Dewar of Edinburgh (1907) in The Zoologist, 4th series, Vol. XI. p. 31, says: 'On Dec. 29th, 1906, I had a brief but clear glimpse of an Arctic Redpoll as it flew northward over a clearing on a wooded hill near Edinburgh. The lower parts were white, the flanks unstriped, and the upper parts, when they came into view, had a greyish white appearance.
The occurrence of this representative of an Arctic species, coupled with the unusual arrival of some Mealy Redpolls at the same place, after a period of northerly gales and severe snowstorms, is not without significance.'
Not admitted nationally (Baxter & Rintoul 1953).
0). 1920 Argyll Mull, 10th October.
(Baxter & Rintoul, 1953).
[A. G. Knox, Ibis 135: 320-325].
History Baxter & Rintoul (1953 (1): 57) under 'Hornemann's Redpoll', say: 'One was obtained on Mull on 10th October 1920.'
Comment Richard Meinertzhagen's records were found to be unreliable (A. G. Knox (1993) Ibis 135: 320-325). Not acceptable.
0). 1945 Northumberland Hallington Reservoir, two, seen, 10th November.
(G. W. Temperley, British Birds 39: 150; G. W. Temperley, Naturalist 71: 117).
[Galloway & Meek, 1978; Kerr, 2001].
History G. W. Temperley (1946) in British Birds, Vol. XXXIX, p. 150, says: 'In the afternoon of November 10th, 1945, while I was walking round Hallington Reservoirs, Northumberland, with Dr. T. F. Hird, we observed two small, very strikingly pale birds flitting about and feeding on the heads of some thistles. They allowed us to approach so closely that we were able to see, with binoculars, every detail of their plumage. They were undoubtedly Redpolls of the arctic species Carduelis hornemannii, and from their size and whiteness I believe them to have been of the typical form or Hornemann's Redpoll C. h. hornemannii, which breeds in N.W. Greenland, rather than Coues's Redpoll C. h. exilipes.
Their most striking features were their white, unstreaked rumps and the broad white bars on their pale brown wings. Their breasts were pale and not suffused with red. Both birds had the unstreaked white rump and were noticeably paler, than any Mealy Redpoll C. f. flammea; but one was even whiter than the other. The only colouring visible on the head of this bird, when viewed 'full-face', was the dark red patch on the forehead and the black bib under the bill, which appeared to be encircled with white, for the crown, cheeks and upper breast were almost pure white in contrast. The back, from the nape to the pure white rump, was very pale, though marked with darker streaks.
They appeared to be of the same size as the Mealy Redpoll, and certainly not smaller. As the birds flitted before us, below eye level, we were able to see their colouring when in flight as well as when perched on the thistle-heads. On returning to the spot later in the day, as it was becoming dusk, we again saw the two birds, this time moving about like little white ghosts in the gloom. On examining the specimen of Hornemann's Redpoll in the Hancock Collection at Newcastle-on-Tyne, (Whitburn, Co. Durham, 1855, the first British record), I have no doubt that the birds we saw were of the same species, and in all probability of this race.'
[It is inconvenient that there is no collective species name to cover the two races of Carduelis hornemannii, the so-called Hornemann's and Coues's Redpolls, and we have ventured to introduce the term Arctic Redpoll for the purpose. The characters noted by the recorder clearly establish the specific identifications, but we do not think the races can be safely differentiated in the field. We note that in this case the birds were particularly white and that Mr. Temperley favours hornemannii, which is the whiter form, but his impression that his birds were the same size as Mealy Redpolls is quite consistent with their having been exilipes, hornemannii being generally larger. We think it probable that the birds were Coues's Redpoll; which breeds in Lapland and, North Russia, and the fact that the observation was made on the east side of England is consistent with this. - Eds., B. W. Tucker.]
G. W. Temperley (1946) in the new series of The Naturalist, Vol. LXXI. p. 117, records it in the Northumberland Annual Report for 1945. However, Galloway & Meek (1978) doubted this record, as it could have been of the pale hybrid population pallescens. Kerr (2001) followed their statement.
0). 1946 Yorkshire Kilnsea, two, seen, 2nd November.
(R. Chislett, Naturalist 72: 66; Eds., British Birds 40: 382; Chislett, 1952).
[Mather, 1986].
History Ralph Chislett (1947) in The Naturalist, Vol. LXXII. p. 66, in the 'Annual Yorkshire Report' for 1946, says: 'Hornemann's or Coues's Redpoll. Two birds in a flock of 12 Mealy Redpolls on November 2nd, near Kilnsea Beacon, showed pronounced white wing-patches and the rump of one was seen to be white (J.L., G.H.A.).'
In an Editorial (1947) in British Birds, Vol. XL. p. 382, in a Review of the above, they say: 'Of the more uncommon species may be mentioned: two examples of Carduelis hornemannii in a flock of 12 Mealy Redpolls near Kilnsea Beacon on November 2nd.'
Accepted locally as indeterminate Redpolls (Chislett 1952: 48), however, they were not acceptable later (Mather 1986).
0). 1947 Ayrshire Barr, seen, 31st January to 1st February.
(G. Hughes Onslow, British Birds 40: 340-341; Baxter & Rintoul, 1953).
[Baxter & Rintoul, 1953].
History G. Hughes Onslow (1947) in British Birds, Vol. XL. pp. 340-341, says: 'On January 31st and February 1st, 1947, I had under observation at Barr, Ayrshire, a solitary Redpoll which was evidently an example of Carduelis hornemannii. It was exactly like the figure of Coues's Redpoll C. h. exilipes in Plate 9 of The Handbook except that there were a few streaks on the under tail-coverts, a condition which the text states is often present in this form. The bird was very tame and spent much of its time feeding on an old lawn which had not been mown in recent years, where it usually allowed me to approach within 6 feet or so. On February 1st I was able to get a good view of the under-side when it flew into the lower branches of a lime tree and allowed me to get directly underneath it.
The following characters were noted: Breast, belly and rump, white; some streaking on flanks and under tail-coverts; no pink on breast; back and mantle greyish-white streaked black. Wing-coverts light buff, streaked black; white bar on secondaries. Crown blood red; a little buff on cheeks; chin black. Except for the wing-coverts and cheeks there was really no buff visible, the whole of the rest of the plumage being made up of grey, white and black. The rump gave the impression of having a slightly bluish tinge, but was white enough for me to mistake the bird for a Brambling at first sight and quite without streaks of any kind.
It appears likely to have been an example of Coues's Redpoll rather than Hornemann's C. h. hornemannii, as it seemed to be no larger than a Lesser Redpoll, and in view of the absence of pink on the breast was evidently a female or first winter male.'
Baxter & Rintoul (1953 (1): 57) under 'Coues' Redpoll' say: 'Commander Hughes Onslow saw a Redpoll which he believed to be of this race...'
Comment Not specifically identified. Not acceptable.
0). 1957 Northumberland Hartley, 3rd September.
(F. G. Grey, Transactions of the Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Natural History Society 12: 218; Galloway & Meek, 1978).
[F. G. Grey, Transactions of the Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Natural History Society 12: 218; Galloway & Meek, 1978].
History F. G. Grey (1957) in the Transactions of the Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle-upon-Tyne Natural History Society, Vol. XII. p. 218, recording the record in square brackets, says: 'On September 3rd at Hartley, N., "a bird amongst a flock of Linnets had only a trace of pink on forehead, an unstriated silver breast, black chin, and pale grey-brown mantle. Rump near pure white, with no striation visible at close range, though flanks lightly marked with pale grey-brown. Distinct white wing-bars on generally pale wing. At least as large as accompanying Linnets, but overall much paler." (J.D.P.).'
Galloway & Meek (1978) say: 'Other possibles have been reported from Hartley on 3rd September 1957.'
