Common linnet

    Carduelis cannabina

Castilian: Pardillo común

Catalan: Passerell

Gallego: Liñaceiro

Euskera: Txoka arrunta

CLASIFICACIÓN:

Orden: Passeriformes

Family: Fringillidae

Migratory status: Permanent resident

CONSERVATION STATUS:

In the 2004 edition of the Red Book of Spanish Birds (Libro Rojo de las Aves de España) it is listed as “Not Evaluated”.

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THREATS

It is affected by agricultural intensification and the use of herbicides and pesticides in irrigation farming. But its principal threat is hunting.

Length / size: 13 cm / 21-25 cm

Identification: Slender bird with a long tail and a short greyish bill. Its back is brown and its belly is a lighter greyish-brown. In spring, males have an unmistakeable red marking on their breast and forehead. The rest of its head is greyish, and in the case of females and juveniles, their colours are softer and paler, sometimes causing them to be confused with female and juvenile buntings. This bird is easily observed searching for food on the ground, moving with short hops.

Song: Its call is a repetitive and musical "chee cheee", and its song is chirping, noisy and screeching.

Diet: It feeds on small seeds, which it looks for on the ground. In spring it catches insects to feed to its chicks.

Reproduction: The breeding period begins in April, and the birds can be monogamous or polygamous. The female builds the nest, positioning it in thick bushes. The eggs are incubated by the female and the chicks are fed by the male.

HABITAT

It prefers open land with isolated shrubs and scrubland. It is common in grain-producing plains and open grasslands.

DISTRIBUTION

In Spain: It is distributed throughout the entire peninsula and the archipelagos.

In Castile and León: Widespread in all the provinces. The densest populations are located in León, Zamora, and Sierra de Gredos (Ávila).

Movements and migrations: The populations living in cold mountain areas move to lower regions and depressions of large rivers. In September, European specimens come to winter in the peninsula or descend with some Iberian specimens to northern Africa.

POPULATION

In Spain: There is an estimated population of 2.4 to 6.6 million breeding pairs.

In Castile and León: