Twite

Linaria flavirostris (Linnaeus, 1758)

Twite, Linaria flavirostris, is a finch in the family Fringillidae that breeds across the Palearctic in open country, from the northern British Isles and Scandinavia through parts of Russia and Central Asia to Mongolia, Tibet and Nepal. In winter it moves to lower ground and farther south. It is a small brown passerine with streaked upperparts and underparts, and the bill changes from yellow in winter to grey in summer. It is also known for its nasal twaa-it call. Outside the breeding season it often gathers in large flocks, sometimes with other finches on coasts and salt marshes.

Order

Passeriformes

Family

Fringillidae — Finches, Euphonias

Breeding range

Palearctic: low Arctic to temperate nw and montane c Palearctic in open areas: n, c British Isles, w, n Scandinavia; disjunctly Caucasus and sc, ne Turkey e through sc Russia, n Kazakhstan, n, w Xinjiang (nw China) and Mongolia, in s nw Iran, c Afghanistan through Altai region, nw Himalayas e to Nepal and Tibet to Qinghai and Gansu (nc China)

Nonbreeding range

to lower elevations and southward