redpoll

1 9.8

A small bird like a sparrow with a red patch on its head found in northern places

noun
/ˈrɛdˌpoʊl/

: redpoll

In the northern tundra, you can often hear the cheerful chirping of redpolls as they search for seeds in the snow.

Examples

While birdwatching in Alaska, I spotted a redpoll perched on a branch, its bright red crown standing out against the snow.
Access had common redpolls again and some weird-looking hunters.

Blog text (20)
Sometimes we saw ravens or redpolls, rabbit tracks or wolf signs; once I even saw a gray gyr.

Fiction book (1993)
Now I saw them coming down the canyon—two ravens, a redpoll, a wind gull—and a terrible thought seized me.

Fiction book (1993)
During the breeding season in June and July, one can find the fields outside the Viking village swarming with boreal finches such as the Common Redpoll.

Blog text (24)
During winter, flocks of redpolls gather at feeders to enjoy the sunflower seeds left out by enthusiasts.

Synonyms

Carduelis flammea

vsredpoll

Specialized

9.9

A small northern bird like a finch with a red forehead and rosy breast that eats seeds

is the common everyday name rather than the scientific term

Surface Forms

redpoll singular

redpolls plural

Morphology

redpoll = red + poll (semi-transparent) = red + poll

Formed from 'red' + 'poll' (meaning 'head') so the structure is clear, but 'poll' meaning 'head' is relatively rare and may be unfamiliar to many learners.

Etymology

Redpoll comes from the parts red and poll, where poll means 'head'. So a redpoll is literally a 'red-headed' bird, which fits this small finch with a bright red patch on its head.