Finches · Perching birds
Eurasian Siskin
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Spinus spinus
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Voice
Call
Benoît Van Hecke
How to recognize it
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Small, short-tailed finch
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Green-yellow or olive plumage with a pale underside
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Male with black cap; both sexes show yellow wing bars and yellow sides to the tail
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Active in small flocks high in trees; thin chirps and twittering trills
About the species
The Eurasian Siskin is a small, lively finch that usually keeps high in the treetops. It is easy to miss at first, but its fresh green-and-yellow tones and quick, restless movements make it memorable once noticed.
It is sociable and often gathers in loose flocks, especially in autumn and winter. Its voice is a steady stream of thin calls and a pleasant song of tweets and trills, and it moves with an agile, bounding flight and a habit of hanging upside down while feeding.
It lives in coniferous and mixed woodland, as well as other wooded places with seeds to pick. It feeds mainly on seeds, especially alder and conifers, and takes insects when feeding chicks; in winter it may wander south in large numbers, but some remain wherever food stays available.
Where to find
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In mature parks and old shelterbelts with spruce or pine, where a small flock chatters from the top branches.
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Along canal banks, stream edges, and other unfrozen water with alder or birch nearby — often feeding high in the canopy, not on the ground.
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In winter, near feeder stations and tree-lined edges of squares, where it may hang upside down on seed heads.
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In river valleys with poplars and willows, moving in loose groups and giving out bright trills from the treetops.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Spinus spinus Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Eurasian siskin Encyclopedia article