Linnet

The linnet (Carduelis (or Acanthis) cannabina) is a member of the finch family that has red conservation status in the United Kingdom due to its declining numbers. It is found throughout Europe except for northern Scandinavia, and its range extends to western Siberia in one direction and the Canary Islands in the other. It is resident throughout most of its range, but in northern areas it migrates south for the winter.

Within the British Isles it is found in all areas except for northwest Scotland, being less common in upland areas. The linnet frequents open countryside, woodland, heathland, hedgerows, parks, gardens and cemeteries, preferring less well managed environments.

Appearance

The linnet is 13-14 centimetres (5-5.5 inches) in length, with a pointed bill, long wings and a long forked tail. Male linnets have a streaky brown back, grey head, and a lighter front that is noticeably crimson or pink in summer but less so in winter. There is also a red patch on the forehead. The wings are edged in white and the tail is black with white edges. Female linnets are duller in colouring, lacking the male’s red summer markings, and with more prominent streaking.

Behaviour

In flight, the linnet flits between bushes, rising and falling as it does so and announcing its presence with its twittering call. On the ground it hops. Linnets will perch in groups on fences and bushes.

The linnet’s song is highly musical, with a mixture of flutey and other notes sung at high volume. The linnet will also add the songs of other birds to its repertoire. The linnet’s attraction as a songbird, and the male bird’s colouring, led to it being a popular cage bird in Victorian and Edwardian times, as found in the music hall song “My Old Man Said Follow the Van”, with the singer (Marie Lloyd was the original exponent) having the line “I followed on wiv me old cock linnet”.

Breeding and feeding

Nest building takes place in April, the nest being constructed from plant stalks and roots and lined with soft material such as wool or horsehair. The nest is hidden in thick vegetation. The female linnet builds the nest on her own but with the male in constant attendance.

The clutch of four to six eggs is incubated by both partners in turn, for up to 14 days, after which both share in feeding the chicks. Food consists of seeds which have been partially digested in the parent birds’ crops before being fed to the young. Two or three broods are common, between April and mid September.

Adult food consists of the seeds of a variety of plants, including dandelions, plantains and thistles, supplemented with plant shoots and insects. The botanical name “cannabina” derives from the bird’s fondness for hemp seeds where available, and the name “linnet” from “linen”, which refers to flax, another of the linnet’s food sources.

Outside the breeding season linnets roam the countryside in groups.

The linnet’s red conservation status is mainly the result of loss of farmland habitat, in that modern farming methods have greatly reduced the supply of weed seeds that form the bulk of the linnet’s diet.

© John Welford