Pine Siskin Song, Call, Diet, Habitat, And Personality. Hey friends, how are you all? Today we are going to talk about Pine Siskin Identification, Diet, Habitat, And Personality. This beautiful bird is from the finch family. like the American Goldfinch also lives in America. Pine siskin finch is a migratory bird, and their migrating timings and movements are incredibly variable. So friends, without wasting time, let’s get started with today’s topic.
Pine Siskin Identification, Diet, Habitat, And Personality.
General Information.
Common Name: Carduelis pinus
Scientific Name: Spinus pinus
Size: 11 To 14 cm
Wingspan: 18 To 22 cm
Weight: 13 grams
Lifespan: 9 To 10 years
Family: Fringillidae
Geographic Range.
Pine siskins are found across the Nearctic except for northern continental North America and Greenland. These beautiful birds are also live as far north as southern Alaska, Guatemala. in the west pine siskin range is Kodiak Island, Alaska across North America, Newfoundland, Labrador, Canada. in the southernmost range, these beautiful birds found in western Guatemala to the Mexican Isthmus. Pine siskins Breed only in the northernmost region like southern Alaska, eastward across Canada and labrador and the eastern edge of Newfoundland. During the non-breeding season, siskins range in continental United States, Canada, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Mexico. They can be found easily year-round in southern Canada, western United States, west Mexico, and central Guatemala.
Habitat.
Pine siskin habitats in Conifers, alders, mixed woods, weedy areas, cemeteries, parks, and suburban woodlands. In the breeding season, they make their nests in coniferous and mixed woods. But sometimes, they also breed in deciduous woods and isolated conifer groves. In the winter season, they move to semi-open areas, woodland edges, and weedy fields.
Diet.
These beautiful finches are granivores which means the pine siskin diet primarily consists of seeds. In the wild, these birds eat many types of seeds, buds and also eat insects. In seeds, they eat seeds of pines, cedars, larch, spruce, hemlock, grass seed, ragweed, dandelions, chickweed, and sunflowers seeds. They also eat deciduous seeds like birch, sweetgum, alder, and maples. They also feed on young buds of willows, elms, maples, soft stems, leaves of weeds, and garden vegetables. Pine siskin occasionally eats small insects like tiny spiders and grubs.
Nesting And Breeding.
Pine siskin breeding season is March to August. When the breeding season starts, Males display their beautiful feathers and sing to impress the females. These beautiful birds are monogamous. After they find their mates, the pine siskin female makes the nest with twigs, leaves, grass, and lichen. After the completion of the nest, the female pine siskin lays 2 to 5 eggs. Only the females incubate the eggs, and males find the food and feed their females during the incubation period. The incubation period lasts for 13 days. After hatching eggs, both parents feed their chicks for the next 14 to 17 days. After 21 days, youngs became independent. The juveniles can breed in the next spring.
Clutch Size: 2 To 5 Eggs
Incubation Period: 13 Days
Nestling Period: 14 To 17 Days
Nesting Material: twigs, leaves, grass, and lichen
Breeding Season: March to August
Breeding age: 10 to 12 Months
Colors And Markings.
Pine siskin birds are entirely brown, and they have streaks of yellow in their wings. They have sharply pointed wings with short, forked tails. It isn’t very easy to distinguish between males and females. Both males and females have similar colors, but there are few differences. Male Pine Siskin’s back is brown with a whitish and coarse, and they have dark streakings on the belly, and their tail has bright colors. On the other hand, females are similar to the males, but their tail is significantly reduced in color.
Pine Siskin Song, Calls And Sounds.
The pine siskin song is unique and mesmerizing. Only the pine siskin male sing the songs, especially in the breeding season, to find a mate. The young juvenile males sing a long song and complex melodies in the first year of their life. Therefore juveniles songs last about 13 to 14 seconds, and with their long song, they try to impress the females. Males produce sharp, elongated, and high-pitched “zreeeet” sounds during singing. Their flight calls sound like “zwee.” On the other hand, females’ sounds are low pitched and produce a low-pitched husky call to males.
Facts.
In the end here are some amazing pine siskin facts for kids.
- Pine siskins can live up to 9 to 10 years.
- These beautiful birds are migratory.
- Only the male pine siskin sings to impress the females during the breeding season.
- These beautiful birds are monogamous.
- Both males and females look similar in appearance.
- These birds are territorial around their nesting area.
- pine siskin migration route is different every year.
- The oldest recorded age Pine Siskin was 8 years and 8 months old. This bird was banded in Pennsylvania in 1958 and found in Michigan in 1966.
Final Words.
So, friends, we hope you enjoy our article Pine Siskin Song, Call, Diet, Habitat, And Personality. Please give us your feedback in the comments.