The twite, a small brown finch sometimes called the mountain linnet, is one of the UK's rarest finches — confined to northern moorland and coastal sites. Its welfare crisis is acute.
Twite welfare is in crisis in England, with the English population having collapsed from moorland and reduced to a handful of coastal winter sites. Moorland management changes — reduced livestock grazing altering vegetation structure, loss of traditional hay meadows with abundant small seeds — have reduced twite food availability. Winter coastal sites where twite depend on saltmarsh seed are vulnerable to sea level rise and coastal development. The few remaining English moorland breeding sites require specialist agri-environment scheme agreements with individual farmers to maintain suitable habitat. The RSPB has documented specific seed supplements provided at winter coastal sites helping to maintain small flocks.