Could someone tell me the difference between a Linnet & a Redpoll?
linnet
A small, slim finch, widely distributed, and once very popular as a cage bird because of its melodious song. Males are attractively marked with crimson foreheads and breasts, females much browner. It can be flighty and has an undulating flight, usually twittering as it flies. Now it is declining, in common with many other birds which use farmland, and is a Red List species.
redpoll
The lesser redpoll is a small brown streaked finch with a distinctive red forehead, small black bib and, in breeding males, red upper chests. This contrasts with largely pale under parts (streaked on the flanks). Its UK breeding population has declined and it is on the Red List. They are often found in flocks, occasionally with siskins. It has recently been split from the common or mealy redpoll, a larger and paler species.
mealy redpoll
The mealy redpoll is a small finch. It is larger and paler than the very similar lesser redpoll. It is streaky brown above and whitish below with black streaks. It shows two white lines on the folded wing. It does not breed in the UK, but is a passage migrant and winter visitor, particularly to the east coast.
regards ian