Twite
Linaria flavirostris (Linnaeus, 1758)
The twite (Linaria flavirostris) is a small songbird in the family Fringillidae, order Passeriformes, named by (Linnaeus, 1758). It is a migratory, perching granivore of grassland, with a geographic range of 6,669,000 km².
Quick facts about the twite
Adults weigh 15.4 g and have a wingspan of 23 cm, and the species is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN, which is not a threatened category. Clutches hold 5.5 eggs, incubation lasts 13.5 days, and sexual maturity comes at 364.6 days, or 1 year.
- Weight
- 14.9 g – 15.4 gsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Wingspan
- 23 cmsrc for Wingspan
- Lifespan
- 6.08 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Granivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- seedssrc for Main food
- Habitat
- grasslandsrc for Habitat
- Egg incubation
- 13.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 4.9 – 5.5src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1.5src for Litters or clutches a year
- Lifestyle
- Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
- Migration
- Migratorysrc for Migration
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
How big is the twite?
Photos of the twite
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
Where does the twite live?
Not recorded
What is the twite?
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 a strongly disjunct distribution in northern Europe, and in Asian mountains from eastern Turkey to Nepal, western China and Mongolia. It mainly feeds on small seeds but occasionally also feeds on insects.
From the Wikipedia article “Twite” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Twite&oldid=1354935424), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the twite endangered?
The twite is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the twite classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyFringillidae
- genusLinaria
- SpeciesLinaria flavirostris (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Acanthis flavirosris, Acanthis flavirostris, Acanthis flavirostris flavirostris, Carduelis flavirostris, Fringilla flavirostris, Linophaga montium, Linota montium
Other names and names in other languages (75)
- تويتArabic
- زقيقةArabic
- حسون أصفر المنقارArabic
- pardín prietuAsturian
- Dağ kətaquşuAzerbaijani
- Горная чачоткаBelarusian
- Жълтоклюно конопарчеBulgarian
- Lineg beg melenBreton
- passerell becgrocCatalan
- Кырык куги кӓзӓляMari
- konopka žlutozobáCzech
- Llinos y MynyddWelsh
- Llinosiaid y MynyddWelsh
- BjergiriskDanish
- BerghänflingGerman
- flavbeka kardeloEsperanto
- Pardillo piquigualdoSpanish
- mägi-kanepilindEstonian
- Txoka mokohoriBasque
- سهره کوهیPersian
- vuorihemppoFinnish
- ÍriskurFaroese
- Linotte à bec jauneFrench
- HeidebarmkeWestern Frisian
- Gleoiseach sléibheIrish
- Gleoiseach shléibheIrish
- gealan beinneScottish Gaelic
- gealain bheinneScottish Gaelic
- Gealan-beinneScottish Gaelic
- riabhag mhonaidhScottish Gaelic
- riabhagan monaidhScottish Gaelic
- Liñaceiro de bico amareloGalician
- Bytermyn slieauManx
- תפוחית הריםHebrew
- gorska juričicaCroatian
- sárgacsőrű kenderikeHungarian
- Լեռնային ՎժասարեկArmenian
- Լեռնային վշասարեկArmenian
- LyngfinkaIcelandic
- Fanello nordicoItalian
- キバシヒワJapanese
- მთის ჭვინტაGeorgian
- КъущхьэбзухьэкӀэKabardian
- Тағ паранчыхkjh
- Тау шонайнағыKazakh
- Tау шоңайнағыKazakh
- Lynek menethCornish
- Groe FluessfänkelchenLuxembourgish
- SjteinkneuterLimburgish
- geltonsnapis čivylisLithuanian
- kalnu ķeģisLatvian
- нордиско конопјарчеMacedonian
- Улаан цэгцүүхэйMongolian
- FraterDutch
- bergiriskNorwegian
- rzepołuchPolish
- pintarroxo-de-bico-amareloPortuguese
- Chanvalin da muntognaRomansh
- Inăriţă cu cioc galbenRomanian
- Горная чечёткаRussian
- Горная коноплянкаRussian
- Muir lintieScots
- DálveruoivilNorthern Sami
- stehlík horskýSlovak
- severni repnikSlovenian
- Планинска јуричицаSerbian
- Planinska juričicaSerbian
- vinterhämplingSwedish
- Sarı Gagalı KetenkuşuTurkish
- Даг чечётказыTuvinian
- чечітка гірськаUkrainian
- NoordfriljoenWest Flemish
- Linet å djaene betchWalloon
- 黃嘴朱頂雀Chinese
- 黄嘴朱顶雀Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the twite
Other species in the same genus Linaria.
Common linnet
Linaria cannabina
Yemen linnet
Linaria yemenensis
Warsangli linnet
Linaria johannis
CompareTwite vs Common linnetTwite vs Yemen linnetTwite vs Warsangli linnet
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the twite?
The twite is a bird, a songbird in the family Fringillidae and the order Passeriformes.
How big is the twite?
The twite is a small bird weighing 15.4 g, with a wingspan of 23 cm.
What does the twite eat?
The twite is a granivore, placing it at the herbivore trophic level.
Is the twite endangered?
No. The twite is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How many eggs does the twite lay?
The twite lays 5.5 eggs per clutch and has 1.5 clutches per year, with an incubation period of 13.5 days.
Does the twite migrate?
Yes, the twite is migratory, and its habitat is grassland.
Who named the twite?
The twite, Linaria flavirostris, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds · CC BY 4.0 · v7
Tobias, J.A. et al. (2022) AVONET: morphological, ecological and geographical data for all birds. Ecology Letters 25: 581–597. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13898. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Twite (Linaria flavirostris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/twite
“Twite (Linaria flavirostris).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/twite.
@misc{twite_2026,
title = {Twite (Linaria flavirostris)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/twite},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}