The Arctic Redpoll (Acanthis hornemanni) is a small finch found in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and across the Arctic, closely related to the more common Common Redpoll but paler and frostier overall. At 12–14 cm long with a wingspan of 21–26 cm and a weight of just 12–20 grams, it shows an almost pure white rump with little or no streaking, a fluffy white underside with only sparse flank streaks, and a slightly rounder-headed look than its cousin. Like the Common Redpoll it carries a red forehead patch and a small black chin, but the differences between the two are subtle and birds can be genuinely difficult to separate in the field.
Its call is much like the Common Redpoll's — a dry, rattling "tjett-tjett-tjett" given from flying flocks — along with a buzzing, trilling song. In Sweden it appears mainly as a scarce winter visitor from the north, usually in small numbers with occasional larger invasions, and is most often found in birch and alder woodland alongside Common Redpolls between October and April. Breeding in the Swedish mountains is uncertain and, if it occurs at all, very sparse — partly because the species boundary between Arctic and Common Redpoll is itself disputed, with recent studies suggesting the two form a single species complex. Where breeding does happen, the nest is built low in a bush or small tree and well lined with feathers and plant down against the cold, with clutches of 4–6 eggs. The diet is dominated by small seeds, chiefly from birch and alder, taken from treetops or the ground, supplemented with insects during the breeding season as protein for the young.
Read about this species in Swedish →