Redpolls lumped
15 January 2025 | Marek Walford
The IOC posted the proposed lump of Arctic, Mealy and Lesser Redpoll into one Redpoll species in July 2024, and included the change in version 14.2 of their checklist, published in August 2024. The BOU adopted the IOC taxonomy in 2018, so effectively adopted this change when IOC published it.
However, it wasn't published on the BOU website until January 2025. I can't put off the inevitable any longer and have updated all lists on berksbirds to reflect the change. Redpoll identification has always been a challenge and the Records Committee still welcomes submissions of Mealy Redpoll, or indeed Arctic Redpoll!
Unfortunately for keen listers, there is more bad news! Several other species are rumoured to be getting the same treatment; Hooded Crow with Carrion Crow, Eurasian Teal with Green-winged Teal, Cabot's Tern with Sandwich Tern, Hudsonian Whimbrel with Eurasian Whimbrel, and Amur Stonechat with Siberian Stonechat.