Twite (Linaria flavirostris)
Key Details
| Taxonomic Groups: | Vertebrate > bird > Bird |
| Red List Status: | Endangered (Breeding) [EN(br)] |
| D5 Status: | Included in the baseline Red List Index for England (Wilkins, Wilson & Brown, 2022) |
| Section 41 Status: | (not listed) |
| Taxa Included Synonym: | Carduelis flavirostris subsp. bensonorum/pipilans |
| UKSI Recommended Name: | Linaria flavirostris |
| UKSI Recommended Authority: | (Linnaeus, 1758) |
| UKSI Recommended Qualifier: | (none specified) |
| Red List Citation: | Stanbury et al., 2021 |
| Notes on taxonomy/listing: | in s41 as Carduelis flavirostris subsp. bensonorum/pipilans |
Criteria
| Question 1: | Does species need conservation or recovery in England? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | English breeding population on verge of extinction |
| Question 2: | Does recovery/ conservation depend on species-specific actions? |
| Response: | Yes |
| Justification: | Measures to prevent Pennine population extinction needed but likely to be unsuccessful as population is at a very low level. Reintroduction candidate |
| Question 3: | At a landscape scale, would the species benefit from untargeted habitat management to increase habitat mosaics, structural diversity, or particular successional stages? |
| Response: | No |
| Justification: | Extant population is highly restricted and needs targeted effort. |
Species Assessment
| Current step on the Species Recovery Curve (SRC): | 6. Recovery solutions trialled |
| Recovery potential/expectation: | Low - Extinction debt |
| National Monitoring Resource: | Combination - insufficient |
| Species Comments: | Recovery solutions not fully trialled; other potential drivers not fully evaluated e.g. climate impact, genetic bottleneck |
Key Actions
Key Action 1
Proposed Action: Establish annual population monitoring to provide up to date information on status of the breeding population. This will allow targeting of interventions and inform, as appropriate, the implementation of recommendations of the 2016 SPA Review for this species.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Targeted monitoring
Duration: Unknown
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: South Pennines
Comments: While we should continue to monitor the South Pennines birds, the population is likely to be functionally extinct. Novel approaches or research would be required. (e.g. captive rear and release within carefully selected landscapes with experimental approach designed to test key potential drivers of decline)
Key Action 2
Proposed Action: Undertake an initial assessment (including a review of likely drivers of decline, including climate change, and habitat suitability in England) to consider whether the species might be a suitable candidate for reintroduction, before embarking on a full feasibility study (if needed)
Action targets: 4. Autecology and pressures understood
Action type: Scientific research
Duration: 1 year
Scale of Implementation: Not applicable
High priority sites:
Comments:
Key Action 3
Proposed Action: Continue to provide supplementary food at key sites to fill breeding season food gaps.
Action targets: 6. Recovery solutions trialled
Action type: Special (in situ) measure
Duration: Unknown
Scale of Implementation: ≤ 10 sites
High priority sites: Only worth continuing in S Pennines if other actions for twite continuing in this location (<20 sites)
Comments:
Acknowledgment:
Data used on this website are adapted from Threatened species recovery actions 2025 baseline (JP065): Technical report and spreadsheet user guide (Natural England, 2025). Available here.