Twite

Acanthis flavirostris (Linnaeus, 1758)

		male female
2017-06-06 Kalmak-ashuu pass, Naryn region 2015-03-26 Boz-peldek mountains, Chuy region	© Sergey Toropov © Sergey Toropov

Description

The male Twite in spring has brownish upperparts with broad dark shaft streaks. Underparts are some paler than upperparts, and without streaks on rear-belly. Uppertail is pink. Flight and tail feathers are dark-brownish with white edges. In fresh autumn plumage upperparts are paler than in spring, buffy with dark streaks, the pink on uppertail is lack. Females are distinguished from males only by lacking of pink on uppertail, therefore in fresh plumage females are not differed from males. Bill is yellowish, legs are black-brownish. Juveniles are similar on females but are distinguished by neat streaks. Size: males: wing 72-83, tail 64-78, tarsus 17.3-23.5, bill 7.0-8.2 mm. females: wing 70-77, tail 59-70, tarsus 13.5-16.5, bill 6.5-8.0 mm. Weight: 13.2-17.7 gr.

Biology

Twite is common breeding migrant, in places common winter visitor. It inhabits hilly sands with grass and shrubs, stony steppe with caragana, meadowsweet and dog rose bushes, crushed stony slopes with bushes and sparse vegetation, or alpine belt with stones and Juniper bushes, often not far from water. Spring migration begins from the end of February to first half of March in flocks of several dozen birds, latest birds were observed in early - mid-April. On breeding area it appears in end of March - April. Altaica subspecies breeds in separate pairs, sometimes in 10-15 m from each other. Nests are built on bush, in height grass (Lasiagrostis, wormwood) up to 0.7 m above ground, or on ground pit under grass or bush twig from dry grass stems and rootless lined with rags, hair and feathers. Clutches of 4-6, usually 5 eggs found in end of April – early July, independent juveniles in broods observed from early July. Autumn migration begins from mid – end September, when flocks of 100-200 birds are common at this time. The latest birds leave breeding area in mid-November.

References

"Птицы Казахстана" том 2. "Наука". Алма-Ата, 1962. Э.И.Гаврилов. "Фауна и распространение птиц Казахстана". Алматы, 1999. Gavrilov E. I., Gavrilov A. E. "The Birds of Kazakhstan". Almaty, 2005.