Pine Siskin

Carduelis pinusOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Finches (Fringillidae)

Codes: Common Name: PISI Scientific Name: CARPIN ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179233

Breeding Location:

Forests, coniferous, Bushes, shrubs, and thickets

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Semicolonial

Breeding Population:

Widespread, Abundant

Egg Color:

Green blue with brown and black spots at large end

Number of Eggs:

3 - 5

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Bark, moss, feathers, and fur.

Migration:

Migratory

General

Pine Siskin: Small finch with brown-streaked body. Wings have small patches of yellow and two white wing-bars. Tail is dark, notched, and has small yellow patches. Bill is slender and pointed. Sexes are similar.

Range and Habitat

Pine Siskin: Breeds from southern Alaska, Mackenzie, Quebec, and Newfoundland south to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Great Lakes region, and northern New England; wanders southward throughout the U.S. during winter. Preferred habitats include coniferous and deciduous forests, woodlands, parks, shade trees near human habitation, alder thickets, and brushy pastures.

Breeding and Nesting

Pine Siskin: Three to five green blue eggs with black and brown spots at large end are laid in a shallow nest made of bark, twigs, and moss. Nest is usually built in a conifer branch 10 to 50 feet above the ground, far out from the trunk. Eggs are incubated for approximately 13 days by the female.

Foraging and Feeding

Pine Siskin: Eats seeds of alders, birches, spruce, and other trees; also feeds on thistle and other weed seeds, forbs, buds, insects, and spiders. Attracted to salt licks and salt treated highways in the winter; sometimes drinks sap at drill wells created by sapsuckers; forages in trees and on the ground.

Readily Eats

Suet, Millet, Thistle, Sunflower Seeds (hulled)

Vocalization

Pine Siskin: Song is a husky, twittering warble, rising and falling in pitch and interspersed with a rapid ascending "ZZZzzzzzzzzzrree", which sounds like the equivalent of a bird with a chainsaw.

Similar Species

Pine Siskin: House Finch has a stubbier, thicker bill, longer tail with square tip, and lacks yellow on wings and base of tail. Common Redpoll has a red cap, black chin, and lacks yellow on wings and tail.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Pine Siskin

● Song: "ZZZzzzzzzzzzrree"

● Foraging & Feeding: Pine Siskin: Eats seeds of alders, birches, spruce, and other trees; also feeds on thistle and other weed seeds, forbs, buds, insects, and spiders. Attracted to salt licks and salt treated highways in the winter; sometimes drinks sap at drill wells created by sapsuckers; forages in trees and on the ground.

● Breeding & nesting: Pine Siskin: Three to five green blue eggs with black and brown spots at large end are laid in a shallow nest made of bark, twigs, and moss. Nest is usually built in a conifer branch 10 to 50 feet above the ground, far out from the trunk. Eggs are incubated for approximately 13 days by the female.

● Similar species: Pine Siskin: House Finch has a stubbier, thicker bill, longer tail with square tip, and lacks yellow on wings and base of tail. Common Redpoll has a red cap, black chin, and lacks yellow on wings and tail.

Flight Pattern

Undulating flight., Alternates several rapid wing beats with wings drawn to sides., Strong high and swift flight.

● Range & Habitat: Pine Siskin: Breeds from southern Alaska, Mackenzie, Quebec, and Newfoundland south to California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Great Lakes region, and northern New England; wanders southward throughout the U.S. during winter. Preferred habitats include coniferous and deciduous forests, woodlands, parks, shade trees near human habitation, alder thickets, and brushy pastures.

^BreedingMonogamous, Semicolonial

^PopulationWidespread, Abundant

^MigrationMigratory

^Weight0.5 Ounces

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America

Pine Siskin

Breeding Location:

Breeding Type:

Breeding Population:

Egg Color:

Number of Eggs:

Incubation Days:

Egg Incubator:

Nest Material:

Migration:

Recommended Products:

General

Range and Habitat

Breeding and Nesting

Foraging and Feeding

Readily Eats

Vocalization

Similar Species

Pine Siskin

Flight Pattern