Saffron Siskin
Spinus siemiradzkii
The Saffron Siskin (Spinus siemiradzkii) is a rare finches, euphonias, and alli found only in Ecuador, weighing about 14 g. The saffron siskin is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae.
About the Saffron Siskin
The saffron siskin is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and urban areas. It is threatened by habitat destruction and the IUCN has assessed it as being a "least concern species".
Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
How to identify it
The saffron siskin grows to a length of about 10 to 10.5 cm (3.9 to 4.1 in). Like other siskins, the colours of this bird are black, olive and yellow, with black wings and a prominent yellow band on the bases of the flight feathers and another on the wing coverts. The male differs from the male hooded siskin (Spinus magellanicus) in having an unstreaked, golden-olive back and bright yellow underparts. The female differs from the female hooded siskin by being altogether yellower, with yellow underparts rather than grey.
What the Saffron Siskin sounds like
Where it lives
When to see it
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, July, August, September, October, November, December, with peak activity in January. It is a resident species across most of its range.
Easily confused with
Quick questions
- How do you identify a Saffron Siskin?
- The saffron siskin grows to a length of about 10 to 10.5 cm (3.9 to 4.1 in). Full identification notes are on this page.
- How big is a Saffron Siskin?
- The Saffron Siskin is a tiny sized bird weighing about 14 g.
- Where can you see a Saffron Siskin?
- The Saffron Siskin is endemic to Ecuador, which is the only country where it occurs.
- What does a Saffron Siskin sound like?
- You can listen to 3 field recordings of the Saffron Siskin on this page, contributed to xeno-canto under open licences.
- What birds look similar to a Saffron Siskin?
- The Saffron Siskin is most easily confused with the Thick-billed Siskin, the Black-capped Siskin and the Antillean Siskin.
- Is the Saffron Siskin endangered?
- The Saffron Siskin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
Learn the Saffron Siskin for real
BeakBrain drills you on photos and calls until you can greet this bird by name in the field. Free to play, on any device.
Play BeakBrainEvery photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.