Family Finches (Fringillidae)
Least Concern
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)
Taxonomy
French: Tarin des pins German: Fichtenzeisig Spanish: Jilguero de los pinos
Taxonomy:
Fringilla pinus
A. Wilson
, 1810,Bush-hill, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
.
Subspecies and Distribution
S. p. pinus
(A. Wilson, 1810) – Pine Siskin – CS & SE Alaska, Canada (S from S Yukon, C Manitoba and C Ontario, E to C & S Quebec and Newfoundland) and W & NE USA; non-breeding S to N & EC Mexico.
S. p. macropterus
(Bonaparte, 1850) – N Baja California and NW & C Mexico (E to Veracruz).
S. p. perplexus
van Rossem, 1938 – Chiapas Siskin – S Mexico (N & C Chiapas) and W Guatemala.
Descriptive notes
11–13 cm; 11–18 g. Small to medium-sized, comparatively slender-billed, short-tailed and heavily streaked, drab-coloured finch with slightly forked tail. Male... read more
Voice
Song, usually only from start of breeding season to completion of clutch, a long rambling jumble of... read more
Habitat
Mostly open coniferous forest, especially spruce (Picea) forest, also mixed deciduous and... read more
Food and feeding
Mostly seeds of various trees and other plants, also some buds and berries; small amount of insects. Seeds include those of alder, birch (... read more
Breeding
Season late Feb to early Sept; one brood, occasionally two, and may rear second brood at site farther N than first nest. Monogamous.... read more
Movements
Resident and partial migrant; frequently irruptive. Most movements diurnal, and in irruption years... read more
Status and conservation
Not globally threatened. Common, locally common or erratically common to abundant. Breeding-survey data in parts of USA breeding range indicate some decline of more than 7%... read more
Has hybridized with Loxia curvirostra. Geographical variation largely clinal. Outlying southern race perplexus presumed to hybridize with S. atriceps and has been speculated to be a subspecies of the latter#R, but recent detailed morphological#R and molecular#R studies strongly suggest that the grey-plumaged, weakly streaked perplexus is distinct from both S. spinus and S. atriceps, probably meriting species status; further analyses needed. Three subspecies recognized.