Forum: Limited opportunity for mixing between Continental and British-and-Irish Twite Linaria flavirostris

The Twite Linaria flavirostris is a high conservation priority in Europe, and particularly so in Britain and Ireland, where it is represented by an endemic sub-species, L. f. pipilans. Imminent extirpation as a breeding species in England has triggered renewed research effort, but the importance of the well-studied English breeding birds, and their relationships with other groups, particularly the Continental nominate sub-species, are not well understood. This article revisits historical ringing data, and data from the North Sea Bird Club, to suggest that Continental Twite are not regular in Britain, with implications for conserving the remaining English breeding group.