Eurasian Siskin

Spinus spinus (Linnaeus, 1758)

11–12 cmLength21 cmWingspan13 gWeight

The male has a black crown and a yellow-green body, with a single yellow wing patch on the black wings.

Busiest months: October · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, Poland

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Male has a black crown and throat patch
Conspicuous yellow wing patch on black wings
Male has a gray-green back and yellow rump
Tail feathers yellow at the sides, with a black tail tip

Male, female and young

Female is more olive, with a white neck patch; juvenile resembles the female but is duller.

Voice

2 loud calls, one falling and one rising, rendered as “tilu” and “tluih”.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: October · Most records: United Kingdom, Spain, Poland

Eurasian Siskin has been recorded at 1,785 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 75 countries and regions.

Records by month Northern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Amwell HMWT NRUnited Kingdom1,718 records
Hel – CypelPoland1,399 records
Lynford ArboretumUnited Kingdom1,289 records

More places

Txingudi – PlaiaundiSpain1,260 records
Spurn Bird Observatory Recording AreaUnited Kingdom1,161 records
Urdaibai RB – bird center y laguna de OruetaSpain1,137 records
Jerusalem Bird ObservatoryIsrael884 records
Titchwell Marsh RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom812 records
Brent ReservoirUnited Kingdom667 records
ErtholmeneDenmark660 records

Countries and regions with the most records

United Kingdom Spain Poland Portugal China Germany Sweden Finland

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The Eurasian siskin (Spinus spinus) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European siskin, common siskin or just siskin. Other (archaic) names include black-headed goldfinch, barley bird and aberdevine.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Eurasian Siskin?

The Eurasian Siskin is about 11–12 cm long, with a wingspan of 21 cm and weighs around 13 g.

Where does the Eurasian Siskin live?

Its breeding range: Palearctic: Subarctic to montane low temperate Palearctic forest and woods: British Isles, northern Scandinavia through Russia, north-central Kazakhstan and north-central Mongolia to Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin and Kuril Islands (eastern Russia), Hokkaido, northern Honshu (northern Japan), northern Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang (northeastern China) south to montane central Iberian Peninsula, Corsica, Italy, Greece, Balkans, northern Turkey, Caucasus and northern Iran. It is most often recorded in United Kingdom, Spain and Poland.

When is the best time to see the Eurasian Siskin?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October (Northern Hemisphere).

Is the Eurasian Siskin endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Eurasian Siskin as Least Concern.

What does the Eurasian Siskin eat?

Main food: Seeds.

What family is the Eurasian Siskin in?

It belongs to the family Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length: 11–12 cm
Wingspan: 21 cm
Weight: 13 g
Habitat: Forest
Diet: Seeds
Lifestyle: Perches in trees
Migration: Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation: Least Concern

More measurements

Wing: 72 mm
Tail: 46 mm
Bill: 13 mm
Tarsus: 13 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Palearctic: Subarctic to montane low temperate Palearctic forest and woods: British Isles, northern Scandinavia through Russia, north-central Kazakhstan and north-central Mongolia to Sea of Okhotsk, Sakhalin and Kuril Islands (eastern Russia), Hokkaido, northern Honshu (northern Japan), northern Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang (northeastern China) south to montane central Iberian Peninsula, Corsica, Italy, Greece, Balkans, northern Turkey, Caucasus and northern Iran

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2