Black Siskin

About the Black Siskin

The black siskin (Spinus atratus) is a species of bird in the family Fringillidae, the finches and euphonias. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. The black siskin was originally described in 1837 with the binomial Carduelis atratus. It was later moved to what was then the subgenus Spinus within genus Carduelis and also spent time in genus Sporagra. Beginning in about 2009 the subgenus was elevated to full genus level and the black siskin, the rest of the New World siskins, and the New World goldfinches were therefore elevated to now-genus Spinus.

The black siskin is monotypic. The black siskin is 12 to 13 cm (4.7 to 5.1 in) long and weighs about 15 to 17 g (0.53 to 0.60 oz). The species is sexually dimorphic but not dramatically so. Adult males are almost entirely glossy black. The sides of the bases of their tail feathers are bright yellow. Their wings' greater coverts have yellow tips and the flight feathers have wide yellow bands across their bases. Their vent and undertail coverts are bright yellow. Adult females have slightly browner upperparts than males. The yellow parts of their tail and wings are paler than those... Wikipedia →