Breeding birds: 220,000 pairs
Family: Finches, Euphonias, And Allies
In breeding plumage, adult male lesser redpolls have cinnamon-brown upperparts with darker streaks and white fringes on the feathers of the mantle and scapulars. The pale buff rump has a pink tinge, and the uppertail coverts are cinnamon brown with dark centres. The darker brown upperwings have a creamy double wing bar and pale edges on the flight feathers.
The underparts are creamy coloured with a pink wash on the throat and breast. The centre of the belly and undertail coverts are white and the flanks and sides of the belly are streaked with cinnamon brown.
On the head, the lower forehead, lores, and chin are black, and the upper forehead and forecrown are deep red. The crown and nape are pale cinnamon-brown with dark streaks and there is a narrow, pale supercilium, and a thin, dark eye stripe. The cheeks and ear coverts are creamy-coloured with a pink wash on the lower parts.
The stout, conical bill is dull yellow with a black tip, the eyes are dark brown, and the legs and feet are black.
Out of breeding season, lesser redpolls are paler all over and they show less red on the head and breast and more streaks on the body.
Female lesser redpolls are similar to males in non-breeding plumage but with less red and more streaks.
Juveniles resemble adult females but without any red on the head, less black on the chin, and heavier streaks.
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Lesser redpolls start breeding from May and produce 1 or 2 broods a season. They are monogamous and nest in loose colonies in hedgerows, heathland, and woodland. The female builds the nest which is a cup-shaped structure made from twigs and stems, lined with roots, grass, moss, and leaves, and a further lining of feathers and wool.
Lesser redpolls lay 4-5 smooth, glossy, pale blue eggs with pink and lilac markings, which are incubated by the female alone for 10-13 days. Chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 11-14 days after hatching.
Lesser redpolls eat mainly seeds from trees, such as alder, spruce, and birch, but will also take fruit buds and occasionally invertebrates from the ground.
Lesser redpolls can be seen all year round across the UK. During breeding season look out for them in woodland but they will also visit gardens.
Lesser redpolls were introduced to New Zealand in 1862 as part of a shipment of birds sent to Nelson, a city on South Island. More introductions followed and it is now widely established.
