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Linnet

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Birds

                     iLinnet
   female
   female

                             Conservation status

   Least Concern (LC)
            Scientific classification

   Kingdom: Animalia
   Phylum:  Chordata
   Class:   Aves
   Order:   Passeriformes
   Family:  Fringillidae
   Genus:   Carduelis
   Species: C. cannabina

                                Binomial name

   Carduelis cannabina
   (Linnaeus, 1758)

   The Linnet, Carduelis cannabina, is a small passerine bird in the finch
   family Fringillidae.

   This bird breeds in Europe, western Asia and north Africa. It is
   partially resident, but many eastern and northern birds migrate further
   south in the breeding range or move to the coasts.

   Open land with thick bushes is favoured for breeding, including
   heathland and garden. It builds its nest in a bush, laying 4-7 eggs.

   This species can form large flocks outside the breeding season,
   sometimes mixed with other finches, such as Twite, on coasts and salt
   marshes. Its food mainly consists of seeds. The linnet derives its
   scientific name from its fondness for hemp and its English name from
   its liking for seeds of flax, from which linen is made.

   It is a slim bird with a long tail. The upperparts are brown, the
   throat is sullied white and the bill is grey. The summer male has a
   grey nape, red head patch and red breast.

   Females and young birds lack the red and have white underparts with the
   breast streaked buff. The linnet's pleasant song contains fast trills
   and twitters.

   They are sometimes found several hundred miles at sea .

   The Linnet is also used on the crest of the town of King's Lynn and
   'The Linnets' has become the nickname of King's Lynn Football Club and
   Runcorn Linnets Football Club (formerly known as 'Runcorn F.C.' and
   Runcorn F.C. Halton). Barry Town F.C., the South Wales-based football
   team, also used to be nicknamed 'The Linnets'.

Conservation

   The Linnet is IUCN Redlisted as threatened and also listed by the UK
   Biodiversity Action Plan as a priority species. In Britain populations
   are declining, attributed to increasing use of herbicides, aggressive
   scrub removal and excessive hedge trimming.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linnet"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
