Spotted Nutcracker (Nucifraga caryocatactes)
Arctic Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni)
Largely unmistakable. Chocolate brown body with small white dots. Wings and crown dark brown without spots. Tail dark with broad white edges/corners. Vent shiny white. Recognizable at long distance when in flight, by its peculiar flight pattern and profile. Fluttering, "inefficient" wing beats, short tail, long bill and often a throat bulging with seeds.
Sound:Fairly silent. Warning call a characteristic dry and rasping "karrr karrr karr" in even pitch. Song a quiet improvisation of whistling and clappering sounds, interspersed with mimicry of other birds.
Alarm call:
Distribution:
Xeno-canto: map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CCDiffers from Common Redpoll by white, almost unstreaked rump (young birds may have some streaks). Under tail coverts white, with only very narrow black center, or no black at all. Upperparts greyer, underparts whiter with less prominent streaking. Wing bars brighter. Bill shorter and less deep, and face "flatter". Juveniles difficult to distinguish from Common Redpoll, even when held in hand. Species status debated.
Sound:Very similar to Common Redpoll, but possibly with a softer tone and slightly longer pauses between each syllable. See Common Redpoll.
Distribution:Xeno-canto map
Ecology:Birdlife ecology
Links:
Observation.org Latest observations
Image search Flickr NB! May give other species
CC