Twite

Overview

The twite is a small brown passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is a partially migratory species with a strongly disjunct distribution across northern Europe and the mountains of Asia. Classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, it faces sharp declines in some parts of its range, notably in Ireland.

Identification

• Resembles a linnet in size and shape, measuring 13 to 13.5 cm long, but lacks the red head patch and breast.
• Plumage is brown streaked with black above, with buff to whitish underparts streaked with brown; adult males possess a pink rump, while females and immatures have a brown rump.
• The conical bill changes colour seasonally, appearing yellow in winter and grey in summer.
• The call is a very distinctive nasal twaa-it, from which the name derives, and the song contains fast trills and twitters.

Habitat

The twite favours alpine grassland and low shrubland for breeding, occupying high altitudes of 3,600–4,900 m in Asia but much lower elevations, down to sea level, in northwestern Europe. In the British Isles, it is strongly associated with traditional low-intensity farming on coastal machair grassland. Outside the breeding season, it often moves to coasts and salt marshes.

Diet

The bird feeds mainly on small seeds, though it occasionally consumes insects. It often forms large flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixing with other finches on coasts and salt marshes.

Did you know?

The genus name Linaria is Latin for a linen-weaver, derived from linum (flax), while the specific epithet flavirostris simply means 'yellow-billed'. The common name 'twite' originates from the bird's distinctive nasal call.