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Photo: Joe Pell · CC BY 2.0 ↗
Linaria cannabina
Common Linnet
A sociable finch of scrub, farmland and coastal rough ground.
A recording has not been added yet. Use the identification notes below for now.
I know this bird · Record a sighting Where to look & how to find it ↓FIELDCRAFT · FIND WITH CARE
Finding guide
Choose the season, find the habitat, then watch patiently. Search guidance is not a measure of rarity or conservation status.
- When to go
- All year
- Where to start
- Watch exposed perches on gorse and field-edge scrub from paths.
- What to do when you arrive
- Scan small finch flocks around gorse and seed-rich grassland, looking for pale wing edges. Females and non-breeding birds need not show a bright red breast.
Habitat and behaviour reference: BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · The practical steps are editorial advice based on the references, not live sightings.
How to identify it
Fine grey bill, chestnut back and white edges to wing and tail feathers. Breeding males have red forehead and breast; females and winter birds are browner and streaked, without Redpoll's black chin.
Habitat
Gorse, scrub, hedges and rough grassland edges.
Behaviour
Takes seeds from the ground and standing herbaceous plants.
When to look
All year
Where to look
Watch exposed perches on gorse and field-edge scrub from paths.
Reference photos do not show every sex, age, season or geographic form; use the identification notes too.
Further reading:BirdWatch Ireland ↗ · Wikipedia ↗
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