The
Pine Siskin (Carduelis pinus), a small, gregarious finch closely
related to the American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis), is an irregular
visitor to our area. This fall (2008) has seen a tremendous movement of this
species into the northeast, likely due to food shortages in the boreal forests
to our north in Canada and northern
New England and New York.
This species is much the same size and shape as a goldfinch,
with slightly more pointed wings and tail tips, and with a slightly thinner,
more pointed bill. The upperparts are a light grayish-brown overlaid with darker
brown to blackish streaking, while the underparts are very light brown to white,
also overlaid with dark brown streaking, save for a oval-shaped white to very
light brown patch in the center of the belly. The wings are black to dark brown,
with wingbars and primary edgings ranging from whitish to yellow (males tend to
have the most yellow). The upperside of the tail is dark brown to black, with
varying amounts of yellowish at the edges, and the underside is dark brown to
black in females, and dark only at the tip in males, with yellow replacing the
dark brown on most of the tail’s underside. A yellow wingstripe is visible in
flight, especially when the bird is backlit. The overall effect is of a rather
drab, stripy, stubby little finch.
Siskins have several distinctive call notes—the most often
heard, especially from birds in flight, is a high, ringing “tillyeer!” which is
often useful for detecting their presence. Less often, a raspy, rising “zhrrreee”
and a quiet, low “chut-chut” or “chut-chut-chut” are heard.
As their name suggests, Pine Siskins are often associated with
conifers: pines, spruces, firs, larches, and arborvitae are all used for food,
cover, and nesting. They will also often eat birch and alder seeds. Siskins are
early nesters, starting breeding activity in late winter and early spring, and
were once discovered nest building in upstate New York as early as February 19.
Outside the breeding season, this species is usually found in
small to large flocks and many, many, such flocks have been moving through our
area this fall. From mid-October through mid-November, a total of 13,226 siskins
have been recorded whizzing by our own Chestnut Ridge Hawkwatch in locust-like
swarms on their way south, with a single-day high of 2,524 on October 13.
Weighing in at an average of .53 oz each (according to the Sibley Guide to
Birds), 13,226 of these birds works out to a little over 439 pounds of
siskins this season, a hefty number for such a small bird.
Some coastal locations have recorded even higher numbers, with a
single-day total of 6,800 reported at Jones Beach on the morning of November 10,
and a season total of 24,406 (808 lbs.!) at the Lighthouse Point Hawkwatch in
Connecticut. These huge fall numbers probably indicate that there will be at
least some, and possibly many, of these little finches hanging around
Westchester and Putnam counties into this winter, so be sure to keep an eye out
for them at your feeder, and to stock up on thistle seed.
