Twite
Linaria flavirostris
About This Species
A small finch of upland moorland, coastal grassland, and rough pasture across northern Britain, Scandinavia, and parts of Asia, it is best recognised by its buzzing, twittering flight calls and habit of feeding in tight flocks on seed heads of thistles and other moorland plants. Winter brings flocks down to lowland saltmarshes and coastal fields, while breeding birds favour heather moorland and rough grazing in summer, so season strongly determines where to look. Its streaky brown plumage and yellow-based bill are useful field marks at close range.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- This species has declined significantly in parts of its range and is treated as a conservation priority in Britain, so keeping well back from feeding or breeding flocks and avoiding disturbance to moorland nesting areas during spring and summer is important.
- In the UK it receives protection under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which makes disturbing nests or eggs an offence, while legal protections elsewhere in its range vary by country, so local rules should be checked.
- Observing flocks from a distance with binoculars rather than approaching feeding groups helps avoid disrupting this already-pressured population.
LCAvesPasseriformesFringillidae
Seasonal Activity
254,930 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.