Twite

The Twite (Linaria flavirostris) is a small brown passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae, found in northern Europe and across the Palearctic to China. It measures 13 to 13.5 cm and is similar in size to a linnet but lacks its red head patch. The twite has a brown upper body with a pink rump and buff to whitish streaked underparts. Its bill is yellow in winter and grey in summer. The call is a distinctive “twit,” and it can form large flocks outside the breeding season.

Breeding occurs in treeless moorland from northern Europe to Siberia and China, with many birds migrating south or to coasts in winter. The female nests on the ground or low in bushes, laying 3–6 eggs that are blue with dark blotches. Incubation lasts 12–13 days, and the young fledge at 11 to 12 days, being fed for an additional two weeks.

In the UK, twites are studied in regions like the Pennines and Scottish Highlands. Birds east of the Pennines move to the southeast coast in winter, while those in Wales winter mainly in Flintshire. Research shows distinct non-breeding areas for British and continental twites.

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