Request to identify bird

[Alanad]

Please could someone identify the bird in this photo which I took at a woodland feeding station, noticing the distinctive yellow patch on the forehead

[david156]

Welcome to WAB.

Its a Redpoll!

I've seen a few of these in the past and have asked the question why yellow and not red a few times and the most popular answer I get is an elderly bird although other people have suggested to me diet.

Cheers David

[Xurek]

Lovely little bird, definately one of my favourites.

Have up to six visiting the garden daily

[Alanad]

Thankyou for your replies.
I've been encouraged to learn a bit more about Redpolls.
It appears that the one I photographed is the Lesser Redpoll, characterised by the buff wash on the flanks, compared to the Common Redpoll which is whiter. Some say the yellow forehead is more prevalent amongst first winter birds and adult females.

Alan

[RoyW]

Originally Posted by david156

...why yellow and not red a few times and the most popular answer I get is an elderly bird although other people have suggested to me diet.

I would tend to favour the diet theory or individual genetic variation (perhaps even a combination of the two).
There are other similar species in which red colours are sometimes yellow or orange (eg. House Finch in the US), and in at least some of these diet is believed to affect the colour.