the type linnets (Acanthis) forms the type-group of the crimson-bullfinches together with other types of the finches.
Coloring The 6 types of the small brownish linnets have a short cone-beak. Above all in the incubation, some red or rose-colored plumage-parts carry; these are masked through brownish feather-tops in the winter. Until the spring, however, the feather-tops pushed off so that the underlying coloring gets the light more strongly.
Linnet, blood-linnet, Acanthis cannabina) it has 13,5 cm of length and is one of the most frequent finch-types. its spread-area stretches with exception of the northerly Scandinavia over whole Europe, front and central-Asia and North-Africa. Only the northern brood-birds are part-pickpockets: they move in to the hibernation as far as into the Mediterranean-countries and also in the Iraq and the Iran.
Habitat The linnet prefers, bush-rich, open terrain, as heaths and forest-edges, also is gladly in sterns, gardens and parks as Kulturfolger, however.
Shape With its red vertex, the red breast, the bay back and the white swing-hems, the males in the brood-dress of all other small-birds of the spread-area differ; in the winter, they resemble the females, whose plumage no red contains.
Nutrition One can observe the linnet with the search of grass and weed-seeds as well as small insects and their larvae on meadows and fields. Here, it is also in the winter.
Reproduction Often, several linnet-pairs nest, hides in low bushes or sterns, densely side by side. The extensive nest is built end of April until beginning May only by the female from grass, stems and moss and is padded with hair and feathers. The female erbrütet also the 5-6 eggs alone. If the boys slipped after 12-13 days, both alto-birds take care again of the nestlings.
Birkenzeisig (Acanthis flammea) and Polarbirkenzeisig (Acanthis hornemanni)) they are described as only one type by some researchers. Both forms are holarktische Faunentypen of the whole world: the Birkenzeisig lives in the Taiga even farther north, that is Polarbirkenzeisig, to find in the shrub-tundra. Europe's restrained zones are used also as habitat. In Norway and Greenland Z. B. if bastards were proved to both types, in other areas (Canada, Alaska), both forms live unmixed in the same habitat side by side.
Mountain-linnet (Acanthis flavirostris)) it populates cold plateaus and desolate steppes of Asia. So, it is to be found in East-Tibet as far as to a height of 4500 m. it is isolated to find also in northwest-Europe (British islands, Ireland, Norway, probably since the last Vereisung), however, in the winter, one even finds it about the North sea and the southern Baltic sea in smaller or bigger troops.
Scientific name: