Eurasian Siskin

How to recognise it

• Two pale yellow-green wing bars set in black, and a pale green rump in all plumages
• Male is green on back and breast, with black crown and black throat patch
• Female and young lack the male's black and are pale grey-green with dark streaking
• Short, conical, pointed bill and short, forked tail

Call and song

The calls are two-syllable whistles, one falling "tilö", the other rising "tluih". It also has a chattering soft call. The song is a twittering, trilling ramble with mimicry, repeatedly broken by a drawn-out, almost wheezing note. Siskins sing all year round, often in groups.

Where and when

The Eurasian Siskin is a partial migrant that breeds throughout Sweden except in the mountains, and it is common in southern and central Sweden. Some Swedish birds move south to Germany and France while others stay for the winter. It is reported from all 21 counties, most often in January, February and September. In winter it prefers stubble fields, farmland and areas with seed-bearing trees.

Food and behaviour

In winter it is often seen in large flocks, frequently mixed with redpolls, and then feeds mainly on alder seeds. It also eats seeds of herbs and grasses, and insects. It forages acrobatically, often hanging upside down like a tit. It wanders widely but is fairly tame, and its flight is fast and bounding.