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Linnet (Acanthis cannabina, Carduelis cannabina)

Clickhere for the bird's sound.

A very common finch that irregularly uses my garden. In wintertime I have never seen it on the feeding table, although it will be on the ground under the table to look for left overs. All year around it uses my pond to drink and bath. Seems to be absent in some winters, but flocks in others. Looking from above the bird does sometimes resemble a Tree Sparrow, but the male's chest is red and the female's chest has more contrasts then the sparrow's chest. Besides, the typically finch-shaped beak gives it away anyway.

This bird belongs to the family of Finches (Fringillidae). It is rare in our garden and can be seen in Holland all year round. The bird is 5" and weighs 18 grams. It lives in mountains, parks and gardens mostly. It eats seeds. The female is without the red spots shown by the male. The nesting habits of the Linnet are the same as for most finches: the nest is made in bushes and shrubs somewehere between april and july. Eacht time four to six eggs are produced. It takes the eggs some 13 days to hatch and the young some 13 days to leave the nest.