Twite

Linaria flavirostris

The northern linnet of windswept moors. Survives where almost no other finch will nest.

Habitat: Alpine grassland and low shrubland at high elevation across most of its Asian range (breeding at 3,600-4,900 m); in northwestern Europe (Britain, Ireland) it breeds at low elevation on coastal machair, moorland edge, and rough hill pasture, wintering on coastal marshes and farmland
Fun fact: The Twite's stubby, conical bill changes color with the seasons, turning yellow in winter and grey in summer.
Range: Strongly disjunct distribution: northern and western Europe (British Isles, Fennoscandia) plus Asian mountains from eastern Turkey and the Caucasus through Iran and Central Asia to the Himalayas, western China, and Mongolia
Diet: Mainly small seeds (favoring plants such as dandelion, dock, and thistle), with insects taken occasionally, especially to feed nestlings
Size: 0.135 m
Lifespan: 7 years

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