The name Linnet and why Burgess would choose it, caused me to pause and think this morning. Amazingly in my research, I discovered that it comes from Welsh, French origin and means “songbird.” I am always encouraged by Thornton W. Burgess’ thoroughness when delivering natural history to children. To think about how much thought and detail he put into his books is a great joy to me.
The Purple Finch is often mistaken and confused with the House Finch. Both have reddish, pinkish feathers, but there are differences. The Purple Finch male has more red on their back, contrasting the dark brown feathers, and it also has more red on the face. Their beaks are also more noticeably white. It’s apparent if you go to allaboutbirds.org, there is a Compare Similar Species option and it is helpful to observe the differences. Do you think you have seen a House or Purple Finch before?
If you want to hear what Linnet, “the songbird’s” song sounds like check here.
Here is the rest of what we gathered about Linnet:
Until next time, keep birding <3
Kate
For more, check out The Burgess Bird Writing and Coloring Pages and Burgess Birds in Detail