A few days ago I was photographing the Serins that have flocked around the Quinta and a surprising couple turned up. I say surprising as I’ve never seen them this close to the house before. There are certainly not a rare bird and often see them along the river banks.
The female arrived first and it wasn’t until the male followed soon after that it was obviously a pair of Common Linnets. The male has a pinkish-red breast that really makes him stand out. This will further become saturated as the breeding season starts. They are ground feeders which is why they are currently mixed in with the Serins, this is common behaviour to see mixed Finches in flocks during the winter.
With the scientific name of Linaria cannabina, the Linnet has 6 sub-species, the one found locally in the Iberia, Mediterranean and North West Africa is the Linaria cannabina mediterranea. Like most finches, they are a small bird at around 14cm in length and their diet consists of mainly seeds and buds.
Here is the impressive male….
…and here is the less colourful female….
Of course, this now brings us to the Competition winner.
Here is the full image that I selected the headshot from. A few of you got a bit confused over what looks like a crest and yes, I was a bit cruel as it was the wind causing it to look like a crest which is why I received quite a few answers of either Crested or Thelka Larks.
Here is a video of me selecting the winner from the correct answers. Just for the record, I allowed both Common Linnet and just Linnet as the correct answers.
{Remember to watch in HD if possible}