Overview

Twite: Small, Robin-sized finch. Tawny head with dark brown streaks on crown, nape, and cheeks. Unmarked tawny around eye and on throat. Black line through eye. Thick, dark brown streaks on pale brown back and white underparts. Brown-pink rump. White edging in dark brown wings and tail.

Twite: Summer breeder and winter visitor to the UK & Ireland. Birds can be seen all year. Breeding birds are found on upland moors in Scotland and the Pennines. In winter, birds shift to Wales, and the east coast of England. Breeding birds prefer moorlands, wintering birds are found at coastal wetlands.

Jean Roche Sound

Twite 3

• Title: Twite 3
• Description: Song a mix of harsh and musical notes.
• Recordist: Jean Roche
• Date Imported: "February 7, 2011"
• Location: uk

Twite 4

• Title: Twite 4
• Description: "Tzzeep" and "TWEE-it" calls.
• Recordist: Jean Roche
• Date Imported: "February 7, 2011"
• Location: uk

Twite 5

• Title: Twite 5
• Description: Calls of a flock in winter.
• Recordist: Jean Roche
• Date Imported: "February 7, 2011"
• Location: uk

Voice Text

"tweee", "chweee", "chwaiie"

• The Twite looks much like a juvenile Linnet, as it has the same white panels in the wing and tail.
• Outside breeding season, this species forms large flocks, sometimes mixed with other finches on coasts and salt marshes.
• A group of finches has many collective nouns, including a "charm", "company", and "trembling" of finches.

• Crossbill
• Common Redpoll
• Lesser Redpoll
• Linnet
• Common Rosefinch

Finches (Fringillidae)

ORDER

Also known as perching birds, the order PASSERIFORMES (pronounced pas-ser-i-FOR-meez) is composed of one hundred and eighteen families of birds, among which are the insectivorous warblers and the seed-eating finches.

FAMILY TAXONOMY

The Fringillidae (pronounced frin-JIHL-lih-dee) is a widespread bird family found on most continents and includes two hundred and seven species of finches in thirty-nine genera (IOC World Bird List, version 2.3).

EUROPE

Thirty-four species of finches in thirteen genera have occurred in Europe. These include familiar feeder visitors such as goldfinches and siskins, the crossbills, and the massive-billed Hawfinch.

KNOWN FOR

Finches are known for their seed-eating behaviour and cheery songs; characteristics that facilitated and popularized the domestication of the Island Canary. Finches such as White-winged Crossbills are also known for their “irruptive” migrations in search of food sources that can make them locally common one winter and absent the next.

PHYSICAL

Finches are primarily small birds with stout, short bills adapted to cracking open seeds and have short legs for a mostly arboreal lifestyle. Many species also have slightly forked tails and long wings useful for the large amount of flying needed to find seeding plants.

COLORATION

European finches are generally plumaged in shades of red, yellow, brown, grey, and dull green. Male finches are more brightly coloured than females; the pinkish-red, grey, black, and white plumage of male Bullfinches being especially striking.

GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT

Finches in Europe occupy forest and non-forest habitats, coniferous forests being favoured by some species. The non-forest niche is filled by a variety of species including goldfinches, the Linnet, Twite, and the Trumpeter Finch.

MIGRATION

Most finches are adapted to cold weather and only migrate when seed crops on their breeding grounds become scarce. An exception to this is the Common Rosefinch which migrates from north-eastern Europe to India for the winter.

HABITS

Members of the finch family are very social birds typically found in flocks outside of the breeding season. Most finches forage for seeds in trees and bushes although a few species take some insects and forage on the ground.

CONSERVATION

While finches in Europe are doing quite well, most members of this family native to the Hawaiian Islands are highly endangered with many having already gone extinct and others in decline because of their high susceptibility to introduced diseases such as avian malaria and changes to the native forests they inhabit.

INTERESTING FACTS

The aptly named crossbills have curious curved bills with crossed tips. Although it looks more like a bill deformity than a useful tool, this specialized bill shape is perfect for extracting seeds from pine cones.

Artist

Michael Oberhofer