LINNET acanthis cannabina [male]
“...suddenly one bird flew down right by his hand, a young cock linnet, new summer crimson marking its breast like a bright splash of blood.”
“...a wren, foraging among the brush. When it saw her it flew up to perch on a hazel twig, cocking its tail and fixing her with its bold eye. She laughed, and followed as it flicked from tree to tree, beckoning her with its sharp, almost scolding song.”
“A patch of blood coloured the leaves where he had lain, brilliant as a linnet’s summer crest.”
