linnet, (Carduelis, sometimes Acanthis, cannabina), seed-eating European finch of the family Fringillidae (order Passeriformes). It is 13 cm (5 inches) long and brown streaked, with a white-edged forked tail; the crown and breast of the male are red. It is a hedgerow singer, and flocks forage for seeds in open country.
The house finch (see rosefinch) of the United States is often called linnet.