Bird of the Day

Pine Siskins are woodland birds that occasionally “irrupt,” which is a fancy way of saying their migratory patterns are irregular and unpredictable. Some years there’ll be huge flocks showing up all over and other years hardly any at all. Many folks don’t notice them at winter feeding stations (they like thistle seeds) since they’re rather drab streaky little birds, with only buffy wingbars and a splash of yellow in the males’ wing and tail feathers to make them stand out, and often even those field marks are obscured. Like other finches they have an undulating flight and a forked tail, but their bill is a bit more slender than most finches. They’re quite gregarious and in winter often travel and mix with American Goldfinches and Redpolls. The word Siskin refers to the sound of their chirps.