England's Twite population is in trouble. It crashed by a staggering 72 per cent between 1999 and 2013 to around just 160 pairs. The RSPB's England Twite Recovery Project aims to discover the reasons behind the decline and to use this information to increase both breeding range and numbers of this Red-listed species.
Monitoring the birds is of vital importance to this research, but it costs money. In order to raise funds for the project, the RSPB has asked members of the public to sponsor a Twite for £25. The Birdwatch/BirdGuides team decided to get involved. 'Our' bird was trapped and ringed in August. A young male, the ringers described it as "a very late fledgling rather than a juvenile". They were surprised to see such a young bird this late in the year.
But we think it needs a name and we want our readers to choose it. Below are five options – simply select your favourite and the name with the most votes wins. Or you can suggest your own. The poll closes on 20 September, so vote now!
You can find out more about the project and how to sponsor your own Twite here.
