The Pine Siskin is a small, streaky finch that seems to arrive in Michigan on a schedule known only to itself. In some winters they descend in noisy, restless flocks that swarm feeders and empty thistle socks; in others they are almost impossible to find. This boom-and-bust pattern, called an irruption, is driven by the northern conifer seed crop — when cones fail in the boreal forest, siskins pour southward in search of food.
At a glance a siskin looks like a heavily streaked brown goldfinch, and indeed it often travels with American Goldfinches. Look closely for the yellow edging in the wings and at the base of the tail, a sharply pointed bill, and its buzzy, rising "zzzreeee" call. A modest number breed in the conifers of northern Michigan, but for most of the state the siskin is a winter wildcard, present in force or hardly at all.
Specializes in small seeds, especially those of conifers, birches, and alders, extracted with a fine pointed bill, along with thistle and other weed seeds. It eats some insects in summer. At feeders it is devoted to nyjer (thistle) and fine sunflower chips, often in large flocks.
They are irruptive. When the northern conifer seed crop fails, large flocks move south into Michigan and beyond; when the crop is good, they stay north and can be nearly absent here. The pattern shifts from year to year.
The siskin is heavily streaked all over with a sharply pointed bill and shows yellow flashes in the wings and tail — especially in flight. Goldfinches are unstreaked, and sparrows lack the yellow wing markings and fine bill.
Nyjer (thistle) seed in a mesh or tube feeder is the top draw, along with fine sunflower chips. In an irruption year a flock can go through thistle seed remarkably fast.
They are irruptive: flock size in Michigan depends on the northern conifer seed crop rather than the weather, so a winter with hundreds at the feeders can be followed by one with none.
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