Lesser Redpoll
Lesser Redpoll
Bird
The lesser redpoll is one of Britain's smallest finches, streaky brown with a scarlet forehead. It flits through birch and alder in restless flocks, feeding on tiny seeds high in the twigs.
💡 Fun Facts
- The lesser redpoll is a tiny, streaky brown finch with a bright crimson "poll" — an old word for the top of the head.
- Breeding males also wear a rosy-pink flush across the chest in spring.
- These acrobatic little birds flit through birch trees in busy, chattering flocks, feeding on the smallest of seeds.
📅 Through the Year
- Breeding:April to July
Name Story
Acanthis cabaret
means “the thistle-finch the French called 'cabaret'”
likely meaningNo one is quite sure why French speakers called the redpoll 'cabaret' — it's a borrowed everyday name rather than a word that describes the bird.
What does its name mean?
- acanthis — thistle-finch, thorn-finchGreek (from akantha, 'thorn/thistle')
- cabaret — the old French name for this little birdFrench
Acanthis comes from the Greek word for 'thorn' or 'thistle', because redpolls, like their finch cousins, nibble tiny seeds from thistles and birch trees. The second name, cabaret, is simply what people in France once called the bird.