A female common redpoll came into care in early December after being attacked by a cat. She was brought to VINS when a woman found her on the ground, unable to fly. The bird was missing her tail feathers, some wing feathers, and had damage to her left wing.
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| Watch a video of this redpoll’s release! |
In our video of the bird’s release, you’ll see that this little bird flew quickly to the ground and began chirping. Sure enough, a nearby charm of redpolls heard her calls and swooped in to gather her up into their flock. At the end of the video, you’ll see the group of redpolls at the VINS songbird feeders.
Redpolls are a northern species who can sometimes be spotted in Vermont in the winter. Look for these active little finches in large chattering groups. Both males and females have small raspberry-colored caps on their heads, and mostly brownish-white feathers on their bodies. Males have raspberry feathers on their chest, too.