ACANTHLS.
Adult males with red crowns, rumps, or breasts, especially conspicuous in summer, after autumn moult reddish-brown margins almost obscure this colour ; gregarious, except in summer ; food, seeds, but also insects, fruit, etc.; cup nest in tree, bushes, or on ground (Twite) eggs bluish white marked with purplish grey and reddish or dark brown.
Acanthis cannabina cannabina j..). LINNET. Fr. Linotte ; Ger. Hanfling ; It /. Fanello ; Szeed.
j adult, summer. Chestnut brown, grey on hind crown and neck, forecrown and breast blood-red ; quills white on outer margins ; upper tail coverts mixed with white, tail feathers with white margins, broader on inner webs ; beneath bully white streaked on chin. but no black chin spot, flanks reddish brown. Bill lead colour. Legs and feet brown. Wing So-S4, 4 77-St. Tarsus 15-17. Bill 8-9. After autumn moult red much obscured by pale brown margins. .9 darker, browner, no red on head or breast, flanks streaked. Young much as 9 but more distinctly streaked.
Breed,,-.—Norway to 64' N., Sweden to 6S', Russia east to Urals ; British Isles ; south to N. Spain, Portugal, N. Italy, Hungary, Rumania. Partly migratory ; occurs in N. Africa in winter.
A. cannabina mediterranea Tschusi. Difficult to distinguish from typical form ; rather smaller and more brightly coloured. Wing 6 9 Breeds.—Mediterranean countries ; from Portugal and Spain east to Turkey, Greek Islands, and Crete ; also N.W. Africa, Morocco to Tunis. Partly migratory.
A. cannabina harterti Bannerman. Smaller than "mediter ranea," and lighter below. Wing ,6 74-76.
Resident.—E. Canaries Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Graciosa, and A. eannabina nana Tschusi,. Grey on head very dark, back chestnut, underparts brownish. Wing .6' 74-77. Resident.—Madeira.
A. cannabina meadewaldoi Hartert. Colour as in nana" but bill stronger. o 76-So.
Resident.—W. Canaries Tenerife, Gran Canaria .
Acanthis flavirostris flavirostris ,L.,. TWITE. Fr. Linotte montagnarde ; Ger. Berghanding.
6 adult. Above darker and less chestnut than "cannabina," feathers with ochreous tips ; tail longer ; throat and chest tawny ; only rump rosy ; primaries with white, secondaries and tail with pale brown margins. Bill yellow with dark tip. Feet and legs dark brown. Wing ," 73-So, c. 7o-75. Tarsus 16-17. Bill 7-S. 2 has no red on rump. Young are Ilke female.
Breeds.—C. and N. England, Ireland, Scotland, W. Coast Norway to 70° N., Sweden and N. Russia. Partly migratory ; occurs in winter south to S. France and Switzerland. Rare in Spain, Italy, S. Russia.
The British birds have been separated by Kleinschmidt as "A. f. parallelicolor," on account of their darker colour, but further confirmation of its validity is required.
Acanthis linaria linaria (L.). MEALY REDPOLL. Fr. Sizerin boreal ; Ger. Birkenzeisig ; Sued. Grasiska.
6 adult. Above light brown, with dark streaks, whiter and washed with rosy colour on rump ; crown blood-red ; two pale wing bars ; lores and chin spot dark brown, throat and chest rosy ; breast and abdomen dull white, flanks streaked. Bill brown, yellow at base. Legs and feet dark brown. 70-7S, Q 7o-75. Tarsus 14-15. Bill 6-7. In winter bill is yellower, and general colour paler, more mealy. 4 like j but only head red. Young like 9 but have no red on head.
Breeds.—Scandinaria, Finland, N. Russia to about tree limit, south to Baltic Provinces and E. Prussia ; also across Siberia and Arctic N. America. Migratory ; occurs in winter south in Russia to Orenburg, Germany, Switzerland, Holland, Britain.
Larger individuals with wings 75-81 and bill 8-9, have been named "A. 1. holboellii" (Brehm).
A. linaria rostrata (Coues). GREATER REDPOLL. Larger, darker, with a stouter bill ; more coarsely streaked on underparts. Wing 78-84, 9 73-81. Tarsus 14-16. Bill 9-1o. The rose colour does not appear to be ever so pronounced.
Resident in Greenland ; occurs in N. America in winter ; fairly regular at Fair Isle, occasional in Orkneys, Outer Hebrides, Ireland.
A. linaria cabaret (Muller). LESSER REDPOLL. Like "linaria" but smaller ; darker and more rufous on upper parts. Wing 6 67-73, 9 (W.). Bill 6-7, yellow, brown at tip. 9 more streaked ; no red on breast or rump.
Breeds. —Britain, Alpine regions of France, Switzerland, Germany, Italy, Balkan Peninsula and Carpathians. Partly migratory. Occurs in winter on plains of C. and S. Europe, • Sicily, Malta, and occasionally Morocco.
Acanthis hornemanni hornemanni (Holboll). HORNE MANN'S REDPOLL.
d" 9 Like "linaria" but larger and paler ; rump white, un streaked, and washed with delicate rose ; beneath white, with faint rosy tinge on breast and few or no streaks. Bill very short and conical. Wing 84-90, 9 80-84 (H.). Tarsus 15-17. Bill 7.5-9. In winter is much whiter than in summer.
Breeds. — Greenland ; has occurred Spitzbergen and Jan Mayen. In winter in N. America. Rare visitor to British Isles.
A. hornemanni exilipes (Cones). COUES' REDPOLL. S 9 Smaller than "hornemanni" and generally darker ; white rump less pure ; red on breast more distinct ; flanks and under tail coverts more streaked. Wing 9 69-76. Tarsus 13-15. Bill 6-7.
Range.—Circumpolar.. Breeds.--Lapland and N. Russia in Europe. In winter rare in Britain, S. Sweden, E. Prussia, I Orenburg in Russia.