Eurasian Linnet: how to recognise it
A bird of Europe, Africa and Asia. Learn the marks that make it easy to identify, then practise with real photographs in Lore.
Practise with real photosAll species guides
Photo © Samuel Beyertt · CC BY-NC · iNaturalist · all photo credits
- Scientific name
- Linaria cannabina
- Family
- Finches, Euphonias, and Allies
- Size
- About 13 cm
- Habitat
- Heath, dunes, farmland and hedges
- Found in
- Europe, Africa and Asia
The key marks
Small finch with a grey head and a warm brown back; in spring the male has a red forehead and breast. Both sexes show whitish edges in the wing and tail. Twite has no red, a streakier buff throat and a yellow bill in winter.
Voice
A twittering, musical song; a nasal 'tet-tet-tet' in flight.
Good to know
It feeds its young on seeds rather than insects, unlike most songbirds.
Do not confuse with
Compare it with the Twite. Look at the marks above one by one rather than the overall colour, and practise telling the two apart with real photos.
Where and when
You can expect to find it in heath, dunes, farmland and hedges. Distribution changes with the seasons and from year to year, so check a recent local observation source before you go looking.