Twite

Last updated

Twite
Twite (Carduelis flavirostris) - geograph.org.uk - 676590.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Subfamily: Carduelinae
Genus: Linaria
Species:
L. flavirostris
Binomial name
Linaria flavirostris
Subspecies

See text

LinariaFlavirostrisIUCNver2018 2.png
Range of L. flavirostris
  Breeding
  Resident
  Non-breeding
Synonyms
  • Fringilla flavirostrisLinnaeus, 1758
  • Carduelis flavirostris(Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Acanthis flavirostris(Linnaeus, 1758)
Twite eggs Linaria flavirostris MHNT 223 Ecosse.jpg
Twite eggs

The twite (Linaria flavirostris) is a small brown passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is a partially migratory species that is found in northern Europe and across the Palearctic to China. It mainly feeds on small seeds but occasionally also feeds on insects.

Contents

Taxonomy

In 1758 the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus included the twite in the 10th edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Fringilla flavirostris. [2] [3] The twite and the closely related linnets were at one time placed in the genus Carduelis but were moved to the resurrected genus Linaria based on a phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences that was published in 2012. The genus had originally been introduced in 1802 by the German naturalist Johann Matthäus Bechstein. [4] [5] The genus name linaria is the Latin for a linen-weaver, from linum, "flax". The specific epithet flavirostris means "yellow-billed". [6]

Nine subspecies are recognised: [4]

Description

The twite is similar in size and shape to a linnet, at 13 to 13.5 cm (5.1 to 5.3 in) long. It lacks the red head patch and breast shown by the linnet and the redpolls. It is brown streaked with black above, and a pink rump. The underparts are buff to whitish, streaked with brown. The conical bill is yellow in winter and grey in summer. [7] The call is a distinctive twit, from which its name derives, [8] and the song contains fast trills and twitters. [9] Twites can form large flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixed with other finches on coasts and salt marshes. They feed mainly on seeds. [7]

Distribution and habitat

The twite breeds in northern Europe and across the Palearctic to Siberia and China. Treeless moorland is favoured for breeding. It is partially resident and in winter many birds migrate further south, or move to the coasts. [10] It has declined sharply in parts of its range, notably in Ireland. [11]

Behaviour

Breeding

The female builds a nest either on the ground or low down in a bush, laying 3–6 eggs. The eggs are light or dark blue in colour with variable dark purplish-brown specs or blotches which are mainly concentrated around the broad end. They are laid daily and measure 17.4 mm × 13.2 mm (0.69 in × 0.52 in). They are incubated by the female for 12–13 days. The young are fed and cared for by both parents and fledge when aged 11 to 12 days. They continue to be fed for a further two weeks after leaving the nest. [12]

In the UK, the twite is the subject of several research projects in the Pennines, the Scottish Highlands and on the North Wales and Lancashire coastlines. Records show that the birds to the east of the Pennine hills move to the southeast coast in winter and those to the west winter between Lancashire and the Hebrides. The Welsh population winters almost exclusively in Flintshire. Ringing data has revealed that twite breeding in different parts of Britain use different non‐breeding areas, and that non-breeding areas of British twite do not overlap with non-breeding areas of continental twite. [13]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finch</span> Family of birds

The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches generally have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usually resident and do not migrate. They have a worldwide native disturbance except for Australia and the polar regions. The family Fringillidae contains more than two hundred species divided into fifty genera. It includes the canaries, siskins, redpolls, serins, grosbeaks and euphonias, as well as the morphologically divergent Hawaiian honeycreepers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European goldfinch</span> Species of bird

The European goldfinch or simply the goldfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family that is native to Europe, North Africa and western and central Asia. It has been introduced to other areas, including Australia, New Zealand, Uruguay and the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian chaffinch</span> Species of bird

The Eurasian chaffinch, common chaffinch, or simply the chaffinch is a common and widespread small passerine bird in the finch family. The male is brightly coloured with a blue-grey cap and rust-red underparts. The female is more subdued in colouring, but both sexes have two contrasting white wing bars and white sides to the tail. The male bird has a strong voice and sings from exposed perches to attract a mate.

<i>Carduelis</i> Genus of birds

The genus Carduelis is a group of birds in the finch family Fringillidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common reed bunting</span> Species of bird

The common reed bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. The genus name Emberiza is from Old German Embritz, a bunting. The specific schoeniclus is from Ancient Greek skhoiniklos, a now unknown waterside bird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corn bunting</span> Species of bird

The corn bunting is a passerine bird in the bunting family Emberizidae, a group now separated by most modern authors from the finches, Fringillidae. This is a large bunting with heavily streaked buff-brown plumage. The sexes are similar but the male is slightly larger than the female. Its range extends from Western Europe and North Africa across to northwestern China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brambling</span> Species of bird

The brambling is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It has also been called the cock o' the north and the mountain finch. It is widespread and migratory, often seen in very large flocks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">European greenfinch</span> Species of bird

The European greenfinch or simply the greenfinch is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redpoll</span> Species of bird

The redpoll is a species of small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Acanthis. It breeds in the Arctic and north temperate Holarctic tundra and taiga. The redpoll was formerly widely treated as three species: the common or mealy redpoll, the arctic or hoary redpoll, and the lesser redpoll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common linnet</span> Species of bird

The common linnet is a small passerine bird of the finch family, Fringillidae. It derives its common name and the scientific name, Linaria, from its fondness for hemp seeds and flax seeds—flax being the English name of the plant from which linen is made.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawfinch</span> Species of bird

The hawfinch is a passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is the only species placed in the genus Coccothraustes. Its closest living relatives are the Chinese grosbeak and Japanese grosbeak of East Asia, the evening grosbeak of North America, and hooded grosbeak of Central America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eurasian siskin</span> Species of bird

The Eurasian siskin is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European siskin, common siskin or just siskin. Other (archaic) names include black-headed goldfinch, barley bird and aberdevine. It is very common throughout Europe and Eurosiberia. It is found in forested areas, both coniferous and mixed woodland where it feeds on seeds of all kinds, especially of alder and conifers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock sparrow</span> Species of bird

The rock sparrow or rock petronia is a small passerine bird in the sparrow family Passeridae. It is the only member of the genus Petronia. It breeds on barren rocky hills from the Iberian Peninsula and western north Africa across southern Europe and through the Palearctic Siberia and north and central China. It is largely resident in the west of its range, but Asian birds migrate to more southerly areas, or move down the mountains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oriental greenfinch</span> Species of bird

The Oriental greenfinch, also known as the grey-capped greenfinch, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae that breeds in broadleaf and conifer woodlands of the East Palearctic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British finches</span>

The British finches are made up of several species of finch which were formerly very popular as cage birds in Great Britain. They are not currently commonplace, but are still kept by a few dedicated fanciers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carduelinae</span> Subfamily of birds

The cardueline finches are a subfamily, Carduelinae, one of three subfamilies of the finch family Fringillidae, the others being the Fringillinae and the Euphoniinae. The Hawaiian honeycreepers are now included in this subfamily. Except for the Hawaiian honeycreepers which underwent adaptive radiation in Hawaii and have evolved a broad range of diets, cardueline finches are specialised seed eaters, and unlike most passerine birds, they feed their young mostly on seeds, which are regurgitated. Besides this, they differ from the other finches in some minor details of their skull. They are adept at opening seeds and clinging to stems, unlike other granivorous birds, such as sparrows and buntings, which feed mostly on fallen seeds. Some members of this subfamily are further specialised to feed on a particular type of seed, such as cones in the case of crossbills. Carduelines forage in flocks throughout the year, rather than keeping territories, and males defend their females rather than a territory or nest.

The Warsangli linnet is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found only in northeastern Somalia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forest and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yemen linnet</span> Species of bird

The Yemen linnet is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.

<i>Spinus</i> (bird) Genus of birds

Spinus is a genus of passerine birds in the finch family. It contains the North and South American siskins and goldfinches, as well as two Old World species.

<i>Linaria</i> (bird) Genus of birds

Linaria is a genus of small passerine birds in the finch family (Fringillidae) that contains the twite and the linnets. The genus name linaria is the Latin for a linen-weaver, from linum, "flax".

References

  1. ↑ BirdLife International (2017) [amended version of 2016 assessment]. "Linaria flavirostris". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2017: e.T22720438A111128447. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-1.RLTS.T22720438A111128447.en . Retrieved 11 November 2021.
  2. ↑ Paynter, Raymond A. Jnr., ed. (1968). Check-list of Birds of the World. Vol. 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 253.
  3. ↑ Linnaeus, C. (1766). Systema Naturæ per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, Volume 1 (in Latin). Vol. 1 (10th ed.). Holmiae:Laurentii Salvii. p. 182.
  4. 1 2 Gill, Frank; Donsker, David; Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (December 2023). "Finches, euphonias". IOC World Bird List Version 14.1. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  5. ↑ Zuccon, Dario; Prŷs-Jones, Robert; Rasmussen, Pamela C.; Ericson, Per G.P. (2012). "The phylogenetic relationships and generic limits of finches (Fringillidae)" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 62 (2): 581–596. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.002. PMID   22023825.
  6. ↑ Jobling, James A. (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London, United Kingdom: Christopher Helm. pp.  161, 227. ISBN   978-1-4081-2501-4.
  7. 1 2 Collar, N.J.; Newton, I.; Clement, P. (2010). "Family Fringillidae (Finches)" . In del Hoyo, J.; Elliott, A.; Christie, D.A. (eds.). Handbook of the Birds of the World. Vol. 15: Weavers to New World Warblers. Barcelona, Spain: Lynx Edicions. pp. 440–617 [566-567]. ISBN   978-84-96553-68-2.
  8. ↑ "Twite" . Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press.(Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  9. ↑ Clement, Harris & Davis 1993 , pp. 246–247
  10. ↑ Newton 1973
  11. ↑ BirdWatch.Ireland. "Irish Twite danger". BirdLife Europe. BirdLife International. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
  12. ↑ Cramp 1994, pp. 636–637.
  13. ↑ Dunning, J.; Finch, T.; Davison, A.; Durrant, K.L. (2020). "Population‐specific migratory strategies of Twite Linaria flavirostris in Western Europe". Ibis. 162 (2): 273–278. doi:10.1111/ibi.12791.

Works cited

  • Clement, Peter; Harris, Alan; Davis, John (1993). Finches and Sparrows: An Identification Guide. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. ISBN   0-691-03424-9.
  • Cramp, Stanley; et al., eds. (1994). "Carduelis flavirostris Twite". Handbook of the Birds of Europe the Middle East and North Africa. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. VIII: Crows to Finches. Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp. 625–639. ISBN   978-0-19-854679-5.
  • Newton, Ian (1973). Finches. The New Naturalist Library 55. New York: Taplinger. ISBN   0-8008-2720-1.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.