My Favorite: My best "yard bird"! It was early January 2013, and for the first time in our 20 years in South Dakota, we were getting Common Redpolls at our feeders. On January 12th, my son, who was 9 at the time, peered out the window in the morning and said, "Dad, what's the white Redpoll"? The "white" Redpoll? I look out at by the feeders, and in a tree is indeed a very "white" looking Redpoll, clearly much different than the dozen or so Common Redpolls around him. It was a gorgeous, pale Hoary Redpoll, a real rarity in far southeastern South Dakota. Over the next month or two, one, and sometimes two Hoary Redpolls were present. They're quite easy to tell apart from Common Redpolls if they're seen together, as Hoary Redpolls lack most of the streaking on their flanks, have a very pale rump and lower back, and have a shorter, stubbier bill than Common Redpolls. Photos #4, #5, and #12 below show a Hoary and a Common Redpoll side-by-side for comparison.
All photos are copyrighted by Terry L. Sohl. Contact me for print options or questions about photo use.
Search South Dakota Birds and Birding for more species pages, photos, and related content.
