Page 384 - Complete Birds of Britain and Europe (DK - RSPB)

FINCHES
Order Passeriformes Family Fringillidae Species Carduelis cannabina
Linnet pale red forehead,
deeper in spring
browner head
pale grey
head
whitish streaks
on dark wings
plain pale orange-
brown back
less pink-red pale
on chest cheek
MALE spot
(SUMMER) MALE
dark
tail with (WINTER) pink-red
white side chest
streaks short
black
legs MALE
IN FLIGHT
(SUMMER)
pale cheek triangular
spot grey bill
streaked brown
body tawny-buff
chest
white belly

FEMALE
small, lively, sociable finch, the Linnet breeds in small colonies FLIGHT: light, dancing, jerky undulations; flurries of
Aand feeds in flocks all year round. Flocks move together, tightly wingbeats; sudden drop to ground to feed.
coordinated, unlike the looser aggregations formed by Chaffinches.
They are ground feeders, while Redpolls and Siskins are mostly tree
feeders and Goldfinches feed on tall herbs; at times most finches can
be found together in mixed flocks. Linnets prefer waste ground with
plentiful seeding plants and bushes, or hedgerows, in which to nest.
VOICE Light, twittering, chattering flight call tidit tidititit, nasal
tseeoo; song musical, quite rich, varied warbling with chattering
intermixed, often chorus from flocks.
NESTING Neat little nest of stems and roots, lined with hair;
4–6 eggs; 2 or 3 broods;April–July. SWIRLING FLOCK
FEEDING Often feeds in groups all year, on seeds, taken from Linnets fly in tight, lively, bouncy flocks, with well-
ground; young fed on insects; rarely comes to gardens. coordinated movements.
SIMILAR SPECIES OCCURRENCE
Found locally on heaths, rough
TWITE 32; streaked tawny- grassland, commons, farmland,
see p.383 buff brown body
throat and upland meadows, in most
streaked pale wingbar of Europe except N Scandinavia
tawny and Iceland. Present only in
body summer in N and E Europe, but
resident elsewhere.
REDPOLL 32; Seen in the UK
see p.384 J F M A M JJ A S O N D
Length 12.5–14cm (5–5 1 ⁄2in) Wingspan 21–25cm (8 1 ⁄2–10in) Weight 15–20g ( 9 ⁄16 – 11 ⁄16oz)
Social Flocks Lifespan 2–3 years Status Secure
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