Bird of the week: pine siskin
About: A small finch with a gray underside and dusky brown upper parts, both heavily streaked. The wings are darker with two brownish-yellow wing bars. They have very distinctive flight calls.
Where to find this bird: It’s a highly irruptive population, so it is extremely abundant in some years while hard to find in others. They can be found visiting feeders and frequently feed on seeds in weedy fields, on catkins and in coniferous trees. The SLUG Garden or trees lining the Fox River are good spots to find them. They requently flock with other birds.
When to find this bird: October–early May
Fun fact: In irruptive years, some pine siskins will stay farther south and breed in places much farther south than their typical range.