The flocks of Pine Siskins finally made it to our area and they are now eating me out of house and home. I have to fill the hanging feeders every other day. If they stick around all winter, I’ll have to ration the food.
You can easily tell the difference between a Pine Siskin and an American Goldfinch when you see them from the front or side:
But from the back it can sometimes be challenging. Pine Siskins have streaking on their backs:
Add a female House Finch to the mix and it can get even more confusing. House finches have no yellow on them and they have a longer tail. But the telltale sign is the beak which is thicker than a Pine Siskin’s:
Pine Siskins eat pine and other conifer seeds in the wild. At my feeders they prefer hulled sunflower seeds.
The birds have a buzzy call that they make even in mid-winter when most other birds are silent.