Pine siskin
Pine siskin | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Aves |
Order: | Passeriformes |
Family: | Fringillidae |
Subfamily: | Carduelinae |
Genus: | Spinus |
Species: | S. pinus
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Binomial name | |
Spinus pinus (Wilson, 1810)
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Geographical distribution of Pine siskin. A small portion in western Guatemala is not shown. Breeding Year-round Nonbreeding Nonbreeding (scarce)
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Synonyms | |
Fringilla pinus ( protonym )Carduelis pinus |
The pine siskin (Spinus pinus) is a North American bird in the finch family. It is a migratory bird with an extremely sporadic winter range.
Taxonomy
The pine siskin was
Three subspecies are recognised:[6]
- S. p. pinus (Wilson, A, 1810) – Alaska, Canada and west, northeast USA
- S. p. macropterus (Bonaparte, 1850) – northwest and central Mexico
- S. p. perplexus Van Rossem, 1938 – south Mexico to Guatemala
Description
These birds are fairly small, being around the same size as the widespread American goldfinch. In both sexes, total length can range from 11–14 cm (4.3–5.5 in), with a wingspan of 18–22 cm (7.1–8.7 in) and weight of 12–18 g (0.42–0.63 oz).[7]
Adults are brown on the upperparts and pale on the underparts, with heavy streaking throughout. They have short forked tails. Their bills are conical like most finches but are more elongated and slender than those of other co-occurring finches. Variably, pine siskins have yellow patches on their wings and tails, which may also consist of white streaks on the wings. Although they can be confused by the more inexperienced for other finches or even
Separation from the Eurasian siskin
The pine siskin in its typical
Distribution and habitat
Their breeding range spreads across almost the entirety of Canada, Alaska and, to a more variable degree, across the western mountains and northern parts of the United States. As their name indicates, the species occurs mostly as a breeder in open conifer forests. Northern pine forests support the majority of the species' breeding population. However, stands of ornamental conifers or deciduous trees may support nesting birds in partially developed parks, cemeteries, and suburban woodlands. While they favor feeding in open forest canopies where cone seeds are abundant, they'll forage in habitats as diverse as deciduous forests and thickets, meadows, grasslands, weedy fields, roadsides, chaparral, and backyard gardens and lawns. They flock to backyard feeders offering small seeds. Mineral deposits can lure them to otherwise unattractive habitats like winter road beds that are salted to melt snow and ice. The nest is well-hidden on a horizontal branch of a tree, often a conifer.[7]
Migration by this bird is highly variable, probably related to food supply. Large numbers may move south in some years; hardly any in others. This species is one of a few species that are considered "irruptive winter finches" because of the high variability of their movements based on the success of crops from year to year.[10]
Behavior and ecology
Feeding
These birds forage in trees, shrubs and weeds. They mainly eat seeds, plant parts and some insects. In winter, they often feed in mixed flocks including
Pine siskins can survive in very cold temperatures. The metabolic rates of this species are typically 40% higher than a "normal" songbird of their size. When temperatures plunge as low as −70 °C (−94 °F), they can accelerate that rate up to five times normal for several hours. They also put on half again as much winter fat as their common redpoll and American goldfinch relatives. They also can protect their young from cold as well. Nests are often heavily insulated with thick plant materials and females may literally never cease incubating their eggs and hatchlings, while being fed by their male mate.[7]
Conservation status
Although considered Washington's most common finch, the pine siskin has suffered a significant annual decline in population since 1966, according to the Breeding Bird Survey. Due to the irruptive nature of this species, populations vary widely from year to year, and trends can be difficult to interpret. Parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds can have a significant impact on pine siskin productivity, and forest fragmentation has increased their contact with cowbirds. Maintaining large tracts of coniferous forest will help keep this bird common.
References
- . Retrieved 12 November 2021.
- ^ Wilson, Alexander (1810). American Ornithology; or, the Natural History of the Birds of the United States: Illustrated with Plates Engraved and Colored from Original drawings taken from Nature. Vol. 2. Philadelphia: Bradford and Inskeep. pp. 133–134, Plate 17 fig. 1.
- ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
- ^ Paynter, Raymond A. Jr, ed. (1968). Check-List of Birds of the World. Vol. 14. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Museum of Comparative Zoology. p. 239.
- ^ Koch, Carl Ludwig (1816). System der baierischen Zoologie, Volume 1 (in German). Nürnberg. p. 232.
- ^ Rasmussen, Pamela, eds. (2020). "Finches, euphonias". IOC World Bird List Version 10.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
- ^ a b c d e All About Birds Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Retrieved 29 May 2011.
- S2CID 216317821. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
- ^ Lethaby(1997) - reference relates to whole paragraph
- ^ "WINTER FINCH FORECAST 2022". FINCH RESEARCH NETWORK. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
External links
- Xeno-canto: audio recordings of the pine siskin
- Pine siskin photo at islandlight.ca
- "Pine siskin media". Internet Bird Collection.
- Pine siskin photo gallery at VIREO (Drexel University)
- Pine siskin Species Account – Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Interactive range map of Carduelis pinus at IUCN Red List maps