Everyone loves a redpoll! ANDY JOHNSON is happy to recommend this gorgeous little native finch as a perfect ‘second species’ or indeed as a main focus for your collection
THERE won’t be many keepers of British birds without the odd pair of redpolls in their collection. These jaunty little birds are a staple for those starting up with British, but also have a dedicated body of specialist fanciers. The lesser is the most commonly kept poll in the UK and comes in a number of different mutations: normal, cobalt, cinnamon, pied, phaeo, white, isabel and silver, to name just a few. With such a popular bird and with such a large following, more mutations will inevitably follow.
Redpolls make a fantastic addition to any birdroom. They are attractive, calm, free breeding and will often whistle a greeting to the fancier as s/he approaches the aviary or cage. Hours can be spent watching them in an aviary as their natural flocking instinct comes to the fore. Even though they are available in multiple colour mutations, there is solid interest in the normal bird.
Traditionally, there are three different species or subspecies of redpoll: the lesser (the smallest), mealy and Arctic. Recent science suggests that they may best be regarded as three types within one species. Certainly the three will interbreed, and we must take care to keep the types pure if we keep more than one type in the same birdroom or aviary. If you do obtain redpolls, consider joining the British Bird Council. This organisation can provide a wealth of information, including breed standards, cage standards, ring information, etc.
Housing
Redpolls are such amenable birds to the fancier. They readily take to – and breed in – a variety of accommodations. Popular in the birdroom are traditional 3ft long x 18in high x 18in deep “box”-style cages with punch-bar fronts, but more modern wire cages, plastic cages and metal cages can also be used. Some fanciers will house their polls in larger flight cages indoors and even in indoor and outdoor aviaries, where a colony breeding system can be deployed and brings a different element to the hobby. However, if the intention is to exhibit, cages are most commonly used because they allow much greater control over the environment and the birds paired together.
Feeding
British (now often called native) birds have been kept in aviculture at least since Victorian times. Their requirements are well known and many companies offer all the seeds these birds need to thrive.
The diet is relatively straightforward. Year-round, it consists of a good goldfinch/siskin mix with regular offerings of millet spray, wild seeds such as nettle heads, dandelions and meadowsweet. Specialist redpoll mixes are now available from a number of suppliers. They absolutely love millet spray and if you hang it inside the aviaries and flight cages they will display all sorts of acrobatics as they clamber in, on and through the sprays. Hours can be lost watching this behaviour!
As the birds begin conditioning early in spring, the above staples are enhanced with a good softfood mix containing such things as eggfood, broccoli, petits pois, apple, kale, germinating seed and Perle Morbide (or similar). Condition seed and mealworms are also offered, and as spring continues, are given more frequently.
Breeding
As a rule of thumb, redpolls can be considered fairly free breeders. They will readily go down on two or often three clutches each year, and can lay five eggs per clutch (seven or even eight have been recorded.) It is common practice to remove the cock bird after the fifth egg is laid, to ensure he doesn’t damage the clutch, though this is not always necessary since some cocks will leave the nest alone.
Many fanciers have their own preferred nest-type for their redpolls. Examples include the external cage type with a rush/grass inset; the enclosed box type; and even just an open pan type with a cover. Coco fibre is a good option to offer the hen and she will readily make a tidy nest with this.
Redpolls, like most British birds, prefer some privacy around the nest site. This can be given using fake ivy, conifer or something similar. Real foliage is an option, too, and leylandii, cypress or even Christmas tree branches are often used. Incubation of the pale blue eggs lasts about 11 days, which the hen will undertake on her own. She will comfortably raise the full brood herself. If the cock had been left with her throughout breeding, he will also engage with feeding the brood.
All British birds are ringed using closed metal rings and redpolls use the BBC’s ring size B. Because the youngsters grow very quickly, you need to be careful not to ring them too late. Failure to ring any British bird means it cannot be sold, it can only be gifted. British birds, including redpolls, often react badly to newly ringed chicks. The hen may attempt to remove the ring from the chick’s leg or, failing this, may even eject the young from the nest. To protect against this, you can try covering the rings with sticking plaster. If you do this the hen will usually accept the chicks with their new rings.
Exhibiting
As previously mentioned, redpolls are available in various colour mutations, which means they are ideal for exhibition purposes. Their classes are well supported at both novice and champion level across the country at both CBSes and specialist British bird shows. They are displayed in Type 1 show cages (11in long x 9in high x 4in deep), painted Georgian Green gloss inside and gloss black outside.
A normal bird with strong markings on its flanks and a rich nutty brown colour throughout is very attractive and often features highly when the place cards are issued. The cock birds exhibit a red cap on the head (the poll), which gives the species its name. This red can be enhanced by adding a colour to the food or water.
In the wild
Whereas the mealy redpoll is a winter visitor, the lesser is a resident species across much of the UK. It mainly inhabits woodland, farmland and heathland and will visit garden feeders too. Diet is predominantly made up of hard seeds such as birch and pine, plus wild grass seeds and some small insects such as aphids.
Because of their small size (10-12cm/4-41/2in), redpolls are susceptible to the cold and numbers can suffer in hard winters when food is hard to come by. Typically, a wild redpoll’s lifespan is only two years and they will usually only survive into their first breeding season. Occasional birds will live longer than two years. In captivity, four or five years is typical, but there is considerable variation.
Wild redpolls are predated by sparrowhawks, corvids, stoats and weasels. In spring and summer, flock sizes are typically 20-25 birds but this increases substantially in the winter when flocks of 100 or more are commonplace.
● Thanks to Oliver Crowther and Kenny Masterman for their help with this article.
Andy Johnson writes a monthly Border Bulletin in Cage & Aviary Birds and has kept redpolls for some years.
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