Twite

Listen to example recordings of the main vocalisations of Twite, provided by xeno-canto contributors.

This species can be found on the following statutory and conservation listings and schedules.

UK Birds of Conservation Concern	Red listed
Species of European Conservation Concern	Least Concern
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (global)	Least Concern
Schedule 1 license required (to disturb)	No
Birds Directive Annex 1	No
Listed on the Annexes of	WCA(III), Bern(III), NERC (41)

The status of breeding Twite in the UK is uncertain but evidence collected from various sources including county bird reports suggests that a substantial decline has occurred in England since the 1970s (Raine et al. 2009) and the number of occupied squares in Britain declined by 19% between 1968–72 and 2008–11 (Balmer et al. 2013). A baseline survey of breeding Twite in the UK came up with an estimate of approximately 10,000 pairs in 1999 (Langston et al. 2006). A repeat survey in 2013 suggests that a moderate decline may have occurred since 1999; the 2013 survey came up with an estimate of 7,831 pairs with 97.6% of the population in Scotland (Wilkinson et al. 2018). The UK wide population decline between 1999 and 2013 was not statistically significant, however, although a significant decline of 72% had occurred in England.

Breeding Twites have been declining for several decades and the distribution may now be less extensive than these maps from 2008–11 suggest. At that time Twites bred throughout the Northern Isles and close to the western seaboard of Scotland, with inland upland populations primarily in the Scottish Highlands and the Pennines. A few pairs remained in North Wales, the Southern Uplands and the coastal fringes of northwest Ireland. Highest densities were in Shetland, Orkney and Caithness and on the Hebrides and their adjacent mainland coast. In winter birds aggregate on the Northern Isles, especially Orkney, and the Hebrides between North Uist and Islay. Further south, large estuaries such as Morecambe Bay, the Humber and the Wash have traditionally attracted substantial flocks to feed in saltmarshes, but these too are declining.

The Twites breeding range has contracted by 80% in Ireland and by 19% in Britain since the 1968–72 Breeding Atlas. The Irish winter range has also contracted, by 30%. Surprisingly, given the population trajectory, the winter range in Britain has expanded by 19%.

Twite is a localised and declining breeder and winter visitor.

View a summary of recoveries in the Online Ringing Report.

Foreign locations of birds ringed or recovered in Britain & Ireland

View number ringed each year in the Online Ringing Report

Maximum Age from Ringing

6 years 7 months 11 days (set in 2017)

Wing Length	Adults	76.9±1.9 | Range 74–80mm, N=3660
	Juveniles	76.7±2 | Range 73-80mm, N=3253
	Males	78±1.6 | Range 75–81mm, N=1814
	Females	75.8±1.6 | Range 73–78mm, N=1778

Body Weight	Adults	16.2±1.2 | Range 14.3–18.2g, N=3613
	Juveniles	16.0±1.3 | Range 14.0–18.0g, N=3168
	Males	16.4±1.2 | Range 14.5–18.4g, N=1798
	Females	16.0±1.1 | Range 14.2–18.0g, N=1749

Feather measurements and photos on featherbase

Ring size	A
Field Codes	2-letter: TW | 5-letter code: TWITE | Euring: 16620

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Causes of change

The drivers of declines in Twite populations are uncertain and further research is needed. Potential factors could include conversion of hay meadows to pasture, overgrazing and poor burning practices, leading to a reduction in foraging opportunities and nesting habitat, and changes to wintering habitat (Langston et al. 2006). A study of breeding ecology on the Western Isles in Scotland found that marginal low-intensity arable farmland and grassland habitats adjacent to moorland were important foraging habitats and suggested that reductions in such habitat may be contributing to local declines (Wilkinson & Wilson 2010).