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.
Region
Europe, North Africa and Western Asia
Typical Environment
Found widely across open country with shrubs and hedgerows, including farmland, heathland, gorse and broom thickets, dunes, and coastal scrub. Favors weedy fields and fallows rich in seed-bearing plants such as flax, dandelions, thistles, and docks. Often uses hedgerows and low bushes for nesting and cover. In winter it frequents stubble fields and set-aside land, moving locally to find ample seed supplies.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 2500 m
Climate Zone
Temperate
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
The common linnet is a small finch famed for its fondness for flax and hemp seeds, which inspired both its common and scientific names. Males show striking red on the forehead and breast in the breeding season, while females are more subtly streaked. Outside the breeding season they gather in sizable flocks that roam farmland and coastal scrub in search of seed-rich patches. Historically kept in aviaries, they sing a pleasant, musical warble.
Eggs
Linaria cannabina mediterranea - MHNT
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
undulating flight with rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Forms flocks outside the breeding season, often mixing with other finches on farmland and coastal scrub. Breeds in loose colonies or scattered pairs, nesting low in dense shrubs or gorse. Monogamous pairs with the female building a neat cup nest and incubating while the male supplies food.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
A sweet, fluid warble with twitters, trills, and rippling phrases delivered from a perch or during short song-flights. Calls include a nasal 'tew' and lively twittering contact notes.
Plumage
Fine, neat plumage with a warm brown back and streaked flanks; males in breeding season show greyish head, bright crimson forehead and breast, and clean white edges to wings and tail. Females and non-breeding birds are more uniformly brown and streaked, lacking the red tones. Both sexes have pale underparts with buffy tones and distinct white wing and tail edges that flash in flight.
Diet
Primarily feeds on seeds of flax, hemp, dandelions, thistles, docks, and other wild herbs and weeds. In the breeding season, adults take small insects and feed them to chicks to provide protein. Also consumes buds and fresh shoots when seeds are scarce. Often ingests grit to aid seed digestion.
Preferred Environment
Forages in weedy fields, stubble, set-aside plots, and along hedgerows and scrubby edges. Frequently feeds on the ground or low vegetation, moving in small groups to rich seed patches.
