Eurasian linnet

Photo by Anne van der  Wal (Flickr)

Common name:
Eurasian linnet (en); pintarroxo-comum (pt); linotte mélodieuse (fr); pardillo común (es); bluthänfling (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Fringillidae


Range:
These birds are found throughout most of Europe, in North Africa, and into Asia as far as western Siberia, western China and northern Afghanistan.


Size:
Eurasian linnets are 13-14 cm long and have a wingspan of 23 cm. They weigh 15-20 g.


Habitat:
They are mostly associated with farmland areas, but occur in weedy fields, hedgerows, orchards, heathland, scrubland, grassland, saltmarshes, gardens and parks.


Diet:
They mostly eat the seeds of various herbs and trees, including polygonums, crucifers, chickweeds, dandelions, thistle, sow-thistle, mayweed, common groundsel, common hawthorn and birch. They also eat small insects, especially aphids.


Breeding:
Eurasian linnets are monogamous. They breed in April-June and both sexes build the nest, a thick cup made of dry grass , weed stems and moss, lined with animal hair , wool or fine roots. The nest is placed in a dense hedge, scrub or thorny tree. There the female lays 4-7 white or bluish-green eggs with red-brown spots. The female incubates the eggs alone for 11-13 days while being fed by the male. The chicks are fed by the female, but the male is responsible for collecting the food. They fledge 12-14 days after hatching, but only become fully independent 2 weeks later.


Conservation:
IUCN status – LC (Least concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and a global population estimated at 40-150 million individuals. Populations in Europe have undergone a moderate decline over the last 3 decades, but the species is not threatened at present.