Finches · Perching birds
Eurasian Linnet
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Linaria cannabina
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Voice
Call
Sonothèque ADVL
Song
Jochem verweij
Alarm
Jochem verweij
How to recognize it
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Small, slim finch with a long tail
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Brown upperparts; whitish underparts, pale flanks
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Spring male: crimson forehead, crown, and breast
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Song: mixed trills, twitters, whistles, and crackles
About the species
The Eurasian Linnet is a small, slim finch with a neat, light build. In spring the male becomes much more eye-catching, with a bright red head and breast, while the rest of the look stays plain and tidy.
It is easier to notice by its voice than by its appearance. The male sings from bushes, trees, wires, and fences, and sometimes rises into the air, circles a few times, and drops back to his perch; several may sing close by at once.
It lives in gardens, hedges, scrubby patches near meadows and woodland edges, especially where seed plants are common. It arrives early in spring and leaves in autumn, usually in late September or October, while in the south of its range it may stay or wander locally.
Did you know?
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Twice an hour
In Denmark, male linnets stay within ten metres of their females before egg-laying and mate with them about twice an hour; genetics shows only around 4% of chicks come from another father.
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Sits tight till you part the branches
You can photograph a linnet hen openly from a tripod as she sits on her eggs — she clings to the nest to the last, slipping off only when you push the branches above her aside.
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Sixty seed species on the menu
The linnet feeds on the seeds of more than sixty plant species — out of seventy-two food items it takes overall — mostly from the daisy and cabbage families.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Linaria cannabina Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Common linnet Encyclopedia article