Acanthis

(redpolls), a genus of birds of the family Fringillidae of the order Passeriformes. The birds are 12 to 14 cm long. The plumage is gray with speckles; males of the species A. flammea and A. hornemanni have a red or pink cap and breast. The genus comprises three species, distributed in Europe, Asia, and North America. All three occur in the USSR. The common redpoll (A. flammea) inhabits coniferous forests and forest tundra, Hornemann’s redpoll (A. hornemannis) inhabits the forest tundra, and the twite (A. flavirostris) is found on the Kola Peninsula, in the stony steppes of Kazakhstan, and in the mountains of the southern part of the USSR (from the Caucasus to the Altai). In winter the birds migrate in flocks. They build their nests in shrubs. A clutch contains four to six eggs, which are incubated 13 or 14 days. The diet consists of seeds.