redpoll

1 of 2

noun (1)

red·​poll ˈred-ˌpōl How to pronounce redpoll (audio)
: either of two small finches (genus Acanthis synonym Carduelis of the family Fringillidae) having brownish streaked plumage and a red or rosy crown
especially : one (A. flammea) found in northern regions of both the New and Old World

red poll

2 of 2

noun (2)

often capitalized R&P
: any of a breed of large hornless red beef cattle of English origin

Examples of redpoll in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Noun
Researchers are developing a new generation of more efficient solar panels, using another structural trick that causes the reflecting of infrared and ultraviolet light—based off the feathers of birds like arctic redpolls and snowy owls. Ian Rose, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 June 2025 Their small seed clusters also attract birds like the goldfinch, redpolls, chickadees, and pine siskins. Anne Readel, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Aug. 2024 Sightings at Race Point in Provincetown included 3 Pacific loons, 15 common murres, 450 razorbills, 35 black-legged kittiwakes, 60 Iceland gulls, a glaucous gull, and 2 common redpolls. BostonGlobe.com, 22 Mar. 2023 Two Lapland longspurs at the Longmeadow Flats and a common redpoll at a feeder in Granville. BostonGlobe.com, 17 Dec. 2022 Three redpoll species are currently recognized: common, hoary, and lesser (a Eurasian species). Paul A. Smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2 Feb. 2022 Other reports included a Philadelphia vireo and a mourning warbler at Santuit Pond in Mashpee, a common redpoll at North Beach, and a cattle egret at South Monomoy Island. BostonGlobe.com, 23 Oct. 2021 Individual hoary redpolls were found among increasingly large common redpoll flocks in Sandwich and Wellfleet, which have numbered from 90-200. BostonGlobe.com, 20 Jan. 2021 Stiteler also suggests the Sax-Zim Bog between Duluth and Hibbing, a national birding destination and a winter habitat for birds like the great gray owl, the pine grosbeak and the hoary redpoll. Richard Chin, Star Tribune, 20 Dec. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun (2)

alteration of red polled

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1728, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1873, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of redpoll was in 1728

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Cite this Entry

“Redpoll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/redpoll. Accessed 19 Jun. 2025.

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