How to distinguish the siskin from the greenfinch and the serin, how to recognize a young siskin and how to support the native songbird in your own garden - you can find out all this in our species portrait.
The Redpoll (Carduelis spinus) is a somewhat rarer garden visitor. The colorful songbird mainly inhabits coniferous forests and is a fairly widespread breeding bird in Europe. It gets its name from its special fondness for alders and their seeds, which it can peck out of the cones with its narrow, pointed beak. Here you can find out how to clearly identify a siskin, how to distinguish it from other bird species and how you can support the songbirds in your own garden. Our profile offers you many lively pictures and exciting information about the siskin.
Silkfinch: Profile
| Size | about 12 cm |
| Weight | 12 - 16g |
| Incubation | April - July |
| Lifetime | about 5 years |
| Habitat | Coniferous forests, parks and gardens with conifers |
| Food Preference | Tree seeds, nuts and insects |
| Threats | Declining food and habitat |
How to recognize the Siskin
Zinklings are quite small, delicate songbirds. Their back is olive green in colour, while the elytra and tail are quite dark, with strong and contrasting yellow bands running through them. In flight, the lower back, also known as the rump, can also be seen, which is also colored yellow. The belly of the siskin, on the other hand, is white and has strong black lines that are particularly visible from the front.
What is the difference between the siskin and the greenfinch?
One can confuse the siskin with the greenfinch, for example, which has a similar color spectrum.However, siskins are much smaller and have a less powerful beak. They can also be distinguished by the almost black wing and tail feathers and the strong yellow elements - the greenfinch has a more washed-out, grey-green colouring.
What is the difference between siskin and serin?
The risk of confusion with the European Serin is even higher than with the Greenfinch. This one also has dark plumage, a yellow rump and a dark dashed belly. However, the serin can be distinguished by its yellow forehead, the dark, olive-colored cheek area and the narrower, yellow wing bars.
How do female and male siskins differ?
As with many bird species, the male redpoll is slightly flashier and more colorful than its mate. He has a bright yellow chest and matching sides of head that contrast with his jet black forehead and matching throat patch. The females, on the other hand, are grey-green in the head area and their chest only has a yellowish tinge before it merges into the white belly plumage.
How does the Siskin song sound like?
The song of the siskin consists of a stanza of clear whistling tones interspersed with trills and sometimes squeaky sounds. The song can also contain imitations of other bird species, which makes identification not always easy. Furthermore, the siskin also has several calls that are just as clear and high-pitched as the whistling tones of its song.
You can find out how the Siskin song sounds here:
What do siskin eggs look like?
Female siskins lay between two and six eggs per clutch. These are about 1.6 cm tall and can vary slightly in color. Some scrims are white, others gray and others even have a slightly blue base color. As a rule, however, they are all covered with small, delicate brown spots.
How do you recognize a young Siskin?
Young siskins are still a bit inconspicuous. They are similar to the females in terms of coloring, but are even simpler. Their back is grey-brown, the underside is plain white and the plumage is streaked with fine dark stripes. thegreen and yellow color elements of the adult animals only develop later. The fact that the young birds are siskins can be seen from the black elements on the elytra and tail feathers. This is how they differentiate themselves from young greenfinches, for example.
What habitat does the siskin prefer?
Nursing siskins prefer coniferous and mixed forests. But they can also feel at home in parks and gardens if they find inviting stands of conifers. Siskins are widespread and their occurrence in Europe is strongly based on the supply of conifers. They even feel comfortable at slightly higher altitudes.
Where do Siskins build their nest?
Polish siskins build their nests in tall coniferous trees - preferably in bushy spruces. The nest is hidden in high branches and built there from twigs, grass and moss. The nest hollow in which the eggs are laid is padded with soft down feathers.
When is the Redpoll breeding season?
Quarter siskin pairs are usually found as early as the winter months - long before the breeding season begins. This exciting time starts in April, when the first eggs are laid. The clutch is incubated for about 13 days before the young hatch. These are then fed for a further 15 days in the nest before they start exploring. After that, however, the young remain close to the nest and receive support from their parents for a few more weeks before they have to fend for themselves. Siskins breed in small colonies of up to six breeding pairs and often start a second brood around June.
Where does the siskin spend the winter?
The siskins stay with us even during the cold winter months. During this time, the small breeding colonies form sometimes large swarms that move across the fields together in search of food. These flocks are often joined by other winter birds, such as goldfinches or redpolls. If you go for a walk in winter, you can often see large flocks flying up in front of you.
Support the Siskin in the garden: Here's how it works
Depending on the region, siskins are almost a rarity among garden birds. It is all the nicer when you actually have one of the yellow and black birds in your homecan watch. Find out here how you can lure the siskin into your garden and support it in its daily struggle for food and nesting sites.
What do siskins eat?
Nursing siskins feed mainly on tree seeds, such as birch or alder. However, they also use other seed-bearing plants such as thistles, sorrels or meadowsweet. They also eat insects picked from trees and plants during the breeding season. This protein-rich diet is particularly important for rearing young birds.
Also in gardens and at bird feeders, siskins come, especially in winter. There they pick fine seeds from loose and grain feed and also help themselves to fat feed cakes and suet balls. So if you want to offer the little songbirds a special treat, try our Plantura fat balls. These consist of high-quality insect fat and rich nuts, seeds and berries. In addition, they do not use any plastic nets, which produce unnecessary waste and in which the birds could get tangled and injure themselves.
Which nesting aids are suitable for siskins?
Classic nesting boxes, such as those used for blue tits or starlings, are not suitable for siskins, as these are free breeders and build their nests freestanding in trees. However, if you can serve with coniferous trees - preferably spruce - in your garden, you have a chance of a siskin in your own green. In this case, however, be careful not to thin out or cut back the trees too much, as the songbirds build their nests in the shelter of the dense branches.
How can you support the siskin?
Apart from offering birdseed, you can also help the polka dot in other ways when it comes to finding food. With seed-bearing perennials and wild herbs, such as thistles or meadowsweet, you can create a natural source of food. And during the breeding season, an insect-friendly garden provides the young birds with the protein they need.
On hot summer days you can also make life easier for the siskin with a watering hole in the garden. A pond, a stream or a simple bowl of water can be of great help during this time and attract numerous small visitors. However, make sure to clean your water point regularly. Especially at high temperatures, bird baths and baths can quickly become breeding grounds and places of infection forBirds develop diseases and are therefore best cleaned daily.
Another garden visitor who spends the cold winter months with us and likes to hang around in conifers is the coal tit. You can also get to know this native songbird in our species portrait.