![pine siskin pine siskin](https://jimburnsphotos.com/media/Pine-Siskins-on-sock-feeder.jpg)
Pine Siskins generally nest in open coniferous or mixed forests their breeding range often changes. The male and female have very similar markings so it is very difficult to distinguish them from each other. Both male and female have bright yellow markings at the base of the tail and on the wings that are most conspicuous when they are in flight, flittering at the feeder or during courtship.
![pine siskin pine siskin](https://rochesterbirding.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/20170409WebsterPISIa.jpg)
Siskins are also smaller than most finches and sparrows, only about 4.5 inches from tip of beak to tip of tail. The delicate beak of the siskin distinguishes it from other brownish, streaked birds. Backyard feeders with thistle seed are one of their favorites. They have delicate beaks well suited to “tweezering” out conifer seeds from cones (as their name implies) as well as small seeds from flower heads. The flocks fill the air with their raspy chatter, which is punctuated with a loud ascending zipper like sound. Pine Siskins are not territorial and we usually see them in large flocks while feeding and even nesting. One study showed that Pine Siskins could increase their metabolic rate up to 40 percent more than a typical songbird to survive temperatures as low as -94 degrees Fahrenheit. They have an uncanny way of increasing their metabolism to withstand sub-zero temperatures all winter long. The bitter cold of northern Canada and Alaska does not seem to bother them. They come in droves when the seed crop up north is scarce this year, the conifer crop up north must be plentiful which might be why we have seen so few. We seldom regard our Flathead Valley as a banana belt, but these little birds, like a few other bird species that breed in Canada, come here (sometimes) to spend the winter. We are assuming that these birds are irrupting from their northern and higher elevation homes in search of more abundant food. When the winter population count is unusually high, it is called an “irruption”.
![pine siskin pine siskin](http://sdakotabirds.com/species_photos/finches/pine_siskin_4.jpg)
The low count was 0 and the high count occurred last December. Pine Siskins have been seen on the Kalispell Count for 20 of 21 years. Last December, 742 individuals were counted on that one winter day this year we had only 15. Last year on the Bigfork Christmas Count, we had 358 (most ever) Pine Siskins and this year we had only 33! Even more startling was the difference in numbers on the Kalispell Christmas Count. Sometimes we see them, sometimes we don’t. Pine Siskins are especially interesting because their populations change so dramatically from winter to winter. One of the small birds we enjoy observing on these “Christmas Bird Counts” has an unusually “cute” scientific name: Spinus pinus its common name is Pine Siskin. This information has been gathered and recorded for over a hundred years nationwide and gives us a good picture of changes that might not be obvious on a small scale, but abundance patterns can be observed over the decades. Pine Siskin – Photo Credit: Frank De KortĮvery December, on specific days, members of local Audubon Chapters gather in small groups to observe and record the numbers of birds seen and heard within a defined 15-mile radius circle.