Great Backyard Bird Count - Little Red Birds

The Great Backyard Bird Count starts this week on Friday. During this time of the year in Wisconsin, the feeder birds should be relatively easy to attract with oil rich seeds like sunflower and nyjer. Sexual dimorphism is bound to be on display in a variety of species as red males and brown females make their way to your feeders. The reddest of all is the state bird of Illinois; the Northern Cardinal is the easiest to pick out of the crowd.

Northern Cardinal - The males will be pretty much red all over.

Cardinals are easy to pick out with their bright red bodies, black mask, and red beaks. Even the more earth-toned females have a brightly colored beak which will help set these birds apart from the other visitors to your yard. The Cardinals will also be bigger than the other winter red birds visiting your yard. House Finches, Purple Finches, and Common Redpolls are sort of like variations on a theme, finches with a splash of red.

House Finches - have a fair amount of brown plumage including at the very top of the their head.


Purple Finches - Very similar to House Finches, their "red" plumage is often more fuchsia. The cap on the head is also not brown.

As pictured above, the House Finch and Purple can be relatively easily confused. The House Finch has spread throughout the Eastern half of the US and is easy to spot in gardens and suburban settings. I see them daily eating safflower and sunflower seeds. Purple Finches, I've only see during migration periods. They are somewhat larger than the House Finches, and the females seem to have more distinctive markings especially on the face. It's my understanding that Purple Finches are more common further north in Wisconsin.

Common Redpoll - Look for the bright red cap which appears on both the males and females to make this id.

The last little red bird is the Common Redpoll. They fit into my bucket of little brown birds for which I'll fetch the binoculars. The key to making the positive id is the small red cap which is shared by the both males and females. Black markings near the beak similar to a sparrow are also present and unlike the House and Purple Finches who have a white-ish beak, Redpoll beaks tend to be yellow or orange-ish.