Birds · Passeriformes · Fringillidae
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinus
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
A small finch with heavily streaked yellowish-green plumage, two conspicuous yellow wing bars and a fine conical bill. The male wears a black crown and bib; the female is duller and lacks them. It moves about in flocks, often hanging upside down from slender twigs.
Weight
13 g on average
Size
11 cm – 13 cm
Lifespan
4 years
Diet
Herbivore
Feeds mainly on plants.
Activity
Diurnal
Active mainly during the day.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Estimated population
Between 13.7 and 25.8 million mature individuals in Europe, with a stable trend
Fun facts
- If the conifer seed crop is generous it may start laying in late winter; if it is poor, it delays laying until May and produces a single brood.
- The chicks are fed by the male alone for the first seven days, and by both parents the following week.
- Its resident populations in Spain are very small: it is essentially a winter visitor, with irregular irruptions from year to year.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (bird)
- Habitat & environment
- As a breeder, mountain woodland, above all conifers. In winter it moves in flocks through alder groves and other riverside formations, and mixes with other finches across farmland, stubble and open country
- Sexual maturity
- 12 months
- Gestation / incubation
- 11 - 14 days
- Litter / clutch size
- 3-5 very pale blue eggs with ochre, pink, reddish or purple spots, in a cup-shaped nest of lichen, moss and wool placed high in conifer branches. It may have two broods
Sources consulted: SEO/BirdLife (ficha jilguero lúgano y III Atlas); IUCN Red List; Asturnatura
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapBest time: From October to March, when the wintering contingents arrive; in some winters with very large irruptions
Where to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 10 de 226 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Eurasian Siskin — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Scottish Crossbill
Loxia scotica
European Greenfinch
Chloris chloris
Common Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebs
Eurasian Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhula
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelis
European Serin
Serinus serinus
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