Weighing in at under two ounces, this guy (pictured left) features one of the nastiest tempers in the avian world. This is the pine siskin, an odd name for a visitor who sees the Northwoods' cold temperatures as absolutely balmy.
Looking somewhat like an underdressed gold finch, these noisy little birds flock to feeders in large numbers. This is surprising, since their behavior would indicate they really don't like each other very much.
Pine siskins live most of the year in the pine areas of Northern Canada and, believe it or not, venture into the Northern US to escape the cold and ... take advantage of abundant bird feeders in more populated areas. They are here in large numbers this year which birders call an "eruption."
Distinguishable by the yellow wing bar, pine siskins dominate feeders by their sheer numbers and by intolerance of competitors for THEIR food. If you have pine siskins, you are not likely feeding many other birds of their size.
Oh, they quickly defer to blue jays or larger woodpeckers but woe be the chickadee, nuthatch or purple finch who ventures near. The siskins flap their wings, lash out with their pointy beaks, and generally attack their feathered relatives with impunity.
We have had somewhere near 100 this year at our feeders every day, and they are largely responsible for consumption of nearly 100 pounds of sunflower and thistle seed a month. Don't tell them I'm complaining though! Pine siskins are the neighborhood bullies of the bird world, and I wouldn't want to aggravate them in any way.