Bird Guide

Black Siskin vs Yellow-rumped Siskin

Black Siskin (Spinus atratus)

Black Siskin

Spinus atratus

Small16 gGrassland

The black siskin is 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long and weighs about 15 to 17 g (0.53 to 0.60 oz). The species is sexually dimorphic but not dramatically so. Adult males are almost entirely glossy black. The sides of the bases of their tail feathers are bright yellow. Their wings' greater coverts have yellow tips and the flight feathers have wide yellow bands across their bases. Their vent and undertail coverts are bright yellow. Adult females have slightly browner upperparts than males. The yellow parts of their tail and wings are paler than those of males. Voice: The black siskin's song is not well known but appears to be similar to that of the yellow-rumped siskin (S. uropygialis). The species sings from a perch atop a bush or tree and also in flight. Its calls are mostly given in flight and include "a descending tew, chew, and a hew-li?".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: no rights reserved, uploaded by Hugo Hulsberg · cc0
Yellow-rumped Siskin (Spinus uropygialis)

Yellow-rumped Siskin

Spinus uropygialis

Tiny14 gShrubland

The yellow-rumped siskin is 12 to 14 cm (4.7 to 5.5 in) long; one individual weighed 14 g (0.49 oz). The species is sexually dimorphic but not dramatically so. Adult males have a sooty black head, neck, throat, and upper breast. Their back is sooty black, their rump bright yellow, and their uppertail coverts blackish with wide yellowish edges. Their tail is mostly black with wide yellow edges at the bases of the outer feathers. Their wings' greater coverts have wide yellow tips and the median coverts have small yellow tips. Voice: The yellow-rumped siskin's song is not well known, but is described as "a rich and melodious series of warbling phrases interspersed with twitters and trills" that is delivered more slowly than the songs of other siskins. Its call is "a nasal pheew".

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: (c) Nicolas Olejnik, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Nicolas Olejnik · cc-by

Where you might meet both

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Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Black Siskin and Yellow-rumped Siskin.