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Linnet
male
Conservation status
Least Concern
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Fringillidae Genus: Carduelis Species: C. cannabina
Binomial name
Carduelis cannabina (Linnaeus, 1758)

The Linnet, Carduelis cannabina, is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae.

This bird breeds in Europe, western Asia and north Africa. It is partially resident, but many eastern and northern birds migrate further south in the breeding range or move to the coasts.

Open land with thick bushes is favoured for breeding, including heathland and garden. It builds its nest in a bush, laying 4-7 eggs.

This species can form large flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes mixed with other finches, such as Twite, on coasts and salt marshes. Its food mainly consists of seeds. The linnet derives its scientific name from its fondness for hemp and its English name from its liking for seeds of flax, from which linen is made.

It is a slim bird with a long tail. The upperparts are brown, the throat is sullied white and the bill is grey. The summer male has a grey nape, red head patch and red breast.

Females and young birds lack the red and have white underparts with the breast streaked buff. The linnet's pleasant song contains fast trills and twitters.

They are sometimes found several hundred miles at sea[1].

"The Linnets" has become the nickname of King's Lynn Football Club and Runcorn Linnets Football Club (formerly known as 'Runcorn F.C.' and Runcorn F.C. Halton). Barry Town F.C., the South Wales-based football team, also used to be nicknamed 'The Linnets'.

The Linnet is IUCN Redlisted as threatened and also listed by the UK Biodiversity Action Plan as a priority species. In Britain populations are declining, attributed to increasing use of herbicides, aggressive scrub removal and excessive hedge trimming.

Carduelis cannabina

Young in nest

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Carduelis cannabina

• BirdLife International (2004). Carduelis cannabina. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern