Bird Guide

American Goldfinch vs Pine Siskin

American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis)

American Goldfinch

Spinus tristis

Tiny13 gForest

The American goldfinch is a small finch, 11–14 cm (4.3–5.5 in) long, with a wingspan of 19–22 cm (7.5–8.7 in). It weighs between 11–20 g (0.39–0.71 oz). Among standard measurements, the wing chord is 6.5 to 7.8 cm (2.6 to 3.1 in), the tail is 4.2 to 5.1 cm (1.7 to 2.0 in), the culmen is 0.9 to 1.1 cm (0.35 to 0.43 in) and the tarsus is 1.2 to 1.4 cm (0.47 to 0.55 in). The beak is small, conical, and pink for most of the year, but turns bright orange with the spring molt in both sexes.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the American Goldfinch
Recorded by Jonathon Jongsma · Song · Glacial Lakes State Park, Pope County, Minnesota, United States · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: joy4birds · CC0
Pine Siskin (Spinus pinus)

Pine Siskin

Spinus pinus

Tiny13 gForest

These birds are fairly small, being around the same size as the widespread American goldfinch. In both sexes, total length can range from 11–14 cm (4.3–5.5 in), with a wingspan of 18–22 cm (7.1–8.7 in) and a weight of 12–18 g (0.42–0.63 oz). Adults are brown on the upperparts and pale on the underparts, with heavy streaking throughout. They have short, forked tails. Their bills are conical like most finches but are more elongated and slender than those of other co-occurring finches.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Sonogram of the Pine Siskin
Recorded by Doug Hynes · Call · Goulds, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Sam Kieschnick · CC BY 4.0

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: American Goldfinch and Pine Siskin.