Carduelis spinus

When the cold arrives in our region, many species of birds that have migrated south have already left us for a few weeks, such as the swallow, the bee-eater, the oriole and other summer birds, which will spend the winter season in their barracks in Africa. On the other hand, when temperatures drop and winter shows itself in full force, other birds from more northern latitudes adapt to our landscapes. Species such as the redstart, robin, chiffchaff, wren, Eurasian siskin… migrate from central Europe looking for warmer climates.

Of all of them, I have decided to show you this time the Eurasian siskin (Carduelis spinus), a species of songbird from the Fringilliade family, which is often confused with the verdigris, as they have a wingspan and colors that are sufficiently similar, although the brightness is the beak much thinner.

With yellowish-brown plumage, they present sexual dimorphism, where males have a black spot on their heads, while lighter-looking females have more striped chests.

With a wingspan that sometimes exceeds 20 cm, it is a fairly small bird, measuring between 11 and 12.5 cm in length. It weighs between 10 and 18 gr.

They frequent open areas rich in grasses and all kinds of “weeds” from which they obtain most of their food. In any case, the life of this little bird is closely linked to the coniferous forests where it spends most of the day.

It is a granivorous species and its flight is fast and undulating.

They usually go in groups where they often mix with greenfinches, greenfinches and finches.

Playing his song: