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Minnow

Minnow ©Jack Perks

Minnow

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Enw gwyddonol: Phoxinus phoxinus
A common and diminutive fish, the minnow can be found in freshwater streams, rivers and lakes across the country. Look out for the dark stripe along its flank and the red bellies of the males.

Top facts

Stats

Length: 4-10cm
Weight: 8-16g
Average Lifespan: 2-5 years

Conservation status

Common.

Pryd i'w gweld

January to December

Ynghylch

The minnow is a small fish that is found in freshwater streams and rivers and, less frequently, in lakes. Often gathering in large shoals, minnows feed on insects, molluscs, crustaceans, plant debris and fish eggs. They spawn several times between April and June, making short migrations upstream to shallow, gravelly beds. Predators of the minnow include the brown trout and various birds.

What to look for

The minnow is olive-brown above, with dark bars along its back and a dark stripe down its side. Females have silver bellies, but the males' bellies turn pinky-red in the summer. The minnow lacks the dorsal spines of sticklebacks.

Where to find

Widespread.

Habitats

Roeddech chi yn gwybod?

Female minnows produce up to 1,000 eggs during each breeding season. The males fertilise the eggs before they stick to the gravelly bed of the waterbody.