Yellow-bellied Siskin
Spinus xanthogastrus
Small boldly patterned finch. Male has black hood, yellow belly, and yellow wing patch. Female much drabber, overall dull yellowish-green but still shows yellow wing patch. Most often seen in pairs, often perched in the canopy but sometimes lower. Usually close to forest, but hangs around clearings and edges.
Identification
The yellow-bellied siskin is a small bird, 10.5 cm in length and weighing 12 g. The male is entirely black except for a bright yellow belly, tail sides and wing patches. The female is dark olive green above and has pale yellow underparts which become brighter on the belly. She has a blackish tail and wings and also has bright yellow primary wing patches and tail sides. Young birds resemble the female, but have dusky fringes to the upperpart feathers and smaller yellow wing and tail patches. The song of this bird is a pleasant chattering twitter, and the call is a sharp pyee.<p>The subspecies S. x. stejnegeri, which occurs from extreme southeastern Peru to central Bolivia, is larger and longer-billed than the nominate subspecies S. x. xanthogastrus. Males have larger yellow wing patches and more extensive black on the flanks. Females of this subspecies are darker olive above than the northern birds.<p>The yellow-bellied siskin is more of a woodland bird than the superficially similar lesser goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) and the latter species is paler and has a white wing patch and a more musical song.
Taxonomy
Genus: Spinus; Family: Fringillidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Spinus xanthogastrus
- Authority
- (Du Bus de Gisignies, 1855)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Spinus
Range and habitat
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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