4 1/2-5 1/4" (11-13 cm). A small, streaked finch with sharp, pointed bill. Grayish-brown above, buffy
below. Carduelis
pinus
(Pine Siskin)
Physical
Description:
4 1/2-5 1/4" (11-13 cm).
A small, streaked finch with sharp, pointed bill. Grayish-brown above, buffy below.
Similar Species- Immature Red Crossbill, juvenile Common Redpoll, female Purple Finch, House Finch.
Song:
Call
an ascending, buzzy terrreeeeee. Song: te te tree te te tree tree te te.
Distribution:
Breeds
from portions of Alaska and Canada, south to northern Baja California, central
highlands of Mexico, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and southern New Jersey. Winters
from breeding range, south to Gulf Coast and northern Florida.
Habitat:
Found in forests
and woodlands, parks, gardens, and yards in suburban areas. During migration and in winter, found in
variety of woodland and forest habitats, in partly-open situations with scattered
trees, and in open fields, pastures, and savannas. Preliminary results of Idaho-Montana
study suggest species prefers old-growth stands over rotation-aged stands in
Douglas- fir/ponderosa pine forests.
Diet:
Eats seeds (e.g., alder, birch,
pine, maple, thistle) and insects.
Ecology:
Bulds saucer-shaped
nest in tree. May form loose colonies when nesting. Takes food from foliage,
or forages on ground. gregarious. In fall and winter, travels
in flocks of typically 50-200 individuals;
occasionally, a few siskins will travel in flocks with goldfinches and redpolls.
Reproduction:
Female incubates 3-4 eggs (sometimes 5),
for 13 days. Nestlings are altricial and downy. Both parents
tend young, which leave nest 15 days after hatching. Female sometimes produces
2 broods/yr.
| Element Code: | ABPBY06030 |
| Status: | Protected nongame species |
| Global Rank: | G5 |
| State Rank: | S5,NTMB |
| National Rank: | N5 |
Important
State References:
Hejl, S.J.
and R.E. Woods. 1990. Bird assemblages in old-growth and rotation-aged Douglas-fir/Ponderosa
pine stands in the northern Rocky Mountains: a preliminary assessment. Pp. 93-100
in D.M. Baumgartner and J.E. Lotan, eds., Proceedings of a Symposium on Interior
Douglas-fir: the species and its management. Feb. 27, 1990, Spokane WA.