Yemen Linnet

The Yemen Linnet (Linaria yemenensis) is a registered common breeding resident bird in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Measuring eleven to twelve cm in size and weighing thirteen to fifteen g, the Yemen Linnet is not a regionally and globally endangered species. Moreover, its regional and global population curves are stable.

The Yemen Linnet lives at an altitude of more than 1,800 m, in the regions housing trees and shrubs, namely junipers. The bird prefers to live near agricultural fields and terraces.

Globally speaking, the Yemen Linnet is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula. It is found in western Yemen and southwest of Saudi Arabia, more specifically between the southwestern mountains and the southern mountains of Taif Governorate, in Makkah al-Mukarramah Province.

The Yemen Linnet is mostly active during daytime. It usually flies in pairs, within small groups during the breeding season, or in flocks of up to two hundred birds in other seasons. Yemen Linnets often fly in mixed flocks including Yemen Serin birds.

This bird is monogamous. In terms of parenting, both adult birds care for their younglings. However, female birds are responsible for building nests and incubating eggs.

The nest of the Yemen Linnet takes the form of a compact bowl. It consists of grass, twigs, roots, cobwebs, and moss. The nest is covered by a layer of hair, grass, and bittercress. The bird often hides its nest behind a layer of moss, placing it at a height ranging between two and three m, or up to five m at times.

The Yemen Linnet feeds on grains, grass, weeds, and small trees. It often searches for food on the ground or upon roosting on trees and shrubs.