Eurasian Siskin

The Eurasian Siskin is a small finch, smaller than a chaffinch. It is a bird of northern Europe and the southern mountains, and a common winter visitor to France. The adult male is recognized by the yellow which is present throughout its plumage, but not uniformly. The yellow is particularly bright on the sides of the head, the wing coverts, the rump and the tail. The underparts are also yellow, with varying degrees of black streaking depending on the individual. Some are heavily streaked on the flanks, while others have none at all, possibly related to their age. The mantle is mostly olive-coloured. When seen from the front, the cap, forehead, lores and chin are black, a secondary sexual characteristic. The beak is a horn-coloured, cone-shaped and pointed. The legs are reddish-brown. The adult female is substantially different. Firstly, she has no black on her head. Secondly, although having the same overall pattern of plumage, she is much less yellow than the male, being paler. The brightest yellow is on the rump. She is heavily streaked with black on the cap, mantle and all the underparts. The bare parts are the same as the male. The juvenile is even less colourful and more heavily streaked than the female. The yellow is present only on the wings (edging the primaries) and on the tail. The mantle is tawny with black streaking. The reddish tips to the median and larger coverts form two distinct wingbars. The beak is darker.