# Twite (*Linaria flavirostris*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/twite  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

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. 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.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 14.9 g – 15.4 g |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Wingspan | 23 cm |
| Lifespan | 6.08 years |
| Diet | Granivore |
| Main food | seeds |
| Habitat | grassland |
| Egg incubation | 13.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 4.9 – 5.5 |
| Age at maturity | 12 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.5 |
| Lifestyle | Perching |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Aves
- order: Passeriformes
- family: Fringillidae
- genus: Linaria
- species: *Linaria flavirostris* (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms: *Acanthis flavirosris*, *Acanthis flavirostris*, *Acanthis flavirostris flavirostris*, *Carduelis flavirostris*, *Fringilla flavirostris*, *Linophaga montium*, *Linota montium*

## Common questions

### 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

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), 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](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.16586228.v7), 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](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), 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](https://commons.wikimedia.org), 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](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), 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).

Cite as: Twite (Linaria flavirostris). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/twite