Linnet, << LIHN iht, >> is a small bird in the finch family. Linnets live in Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. They are light tan and brown with darker patches on the back and shoulders. In spring and summer, the crown and breast of male linnets turn crimson. Like other finches, linnets have a sturdy bill that is well adapted to holding and cracking the seeds they eat.
These birds inhabit thickets, shrubs, and the edges of forests during the spring and summer, when they nest. They flock together in open country during the fall and winter. Some linnets migrate to warmer regions for the winter. Others stay in the same area all year.
Linnets build cuplike nests of stalks and grasses. They line the nests with feathers or fur. A nest usually is placed low in a shrub or tree growing in the open. Female linnets lay from 4 to 6 spotted, pale-bluish eggs. In North America, the distantly related house finch is sometimes called a linnet.
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