Twite Carduelis flavirostris

The Twite, Linaria flavirostris, is a small and rather plain finch belonging to the family Fringillidae, and one of Britain's least conspicuous yet most range-restricted breeding birds. Streaked warm brown throughout, it closely resembles a Linnet but lacks the red colouration, and is best identified by its warm buff-orange throat, nasal 'twayt' call, and – in breeding males – a delicate pink rump. A bird of open upland moorland, rough hill pasture, and coastal habitats, it breeds primarily in Scotland and the Pennines, with wintering flocks moving to coastal saltmarshes and rough grassland in eastern and southern England. The species has declined significantly, particularly in upland England, and is a Red List species, with changes in upland land management and the loss of seed-rich coastal habitats on its wintering grounds both contributing to its decline. Image: © Imran Shah, Flickr.

Find out more: RSPB, iNaturalist