Pine siskin

Rondeau Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada, Feb 8, 2022.


We have a large number of siskins frequenting our yard.
Earlier we would see one or two, now it is 15 to 25 and they are swarming the niger seed feeders.
They also use the water feature in the yard.
Spinus pinus
Pine Siskins get through cold nights by ramping up their metabolic rates—typically 40% higher than a “normal” songbird of their size. When temperatures plunge as low as –70°C (–94°F), they can accelerate that rate up to five times normal for several hours. They also put on half again as much winter fat as their Common Redpoll and American Goldfinch relatives.
source- Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

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