Scientific name: Carduelis cannabina (Linnaeus, 1758)
Bird group: Finches and Crossbills
Field characters. 13.5 cm. Male has scarlet forehead and breast, chestnut mantle, greyish sides of head, and black flight- and tail feathers with white edges. Female streaked brown on buff of breast and on chestnut of mantle. Both sexes have dark grey bill and forked tail. Differs from Common Redpoll and Twite in having obvious white patches on wing and on sides of tail, chestnut on mantle, dark bill (also in winter), and by different voice. Juvenile a rather nondescript finch, but white patches in wing exclude other small finches except Twite. Often in flocks, in winter together with other finches and buntings.
Voice. Call in flight 'knut knut'. Song a varied and musical twittering with clear whistling notes, usually given from perch.
Distribution. Common resident, but common summer visitor in Scandinavia.
Habitat. In varied half-open landscape, with trees, hedgerows, bushes and open low vegetated terrain. Often near wasteland, stubble, and arable fields in winter.
Food. In summer seeds and insects, in winter seeds, found mainly on the ground or in low vegetation.