Fun Hooded Siskin Facts For Kids

The hooded siskin (Spinus magellanicus) is a finch belonging to the Fringillidae family. They are native to South America and range throughout Venezuela, Argentina, and Brazil. These birds have a black with a yellow body just like the lesser goldfinch and their tail is black.

The siskins are not migratory in nature. They fly occasionally out of range in search of food and water.

They inhabit the woodlands, savannas, agricultural lands, parks, and gardens. These birds show sexual dimorphism. The male has a black head, while the female has a more green-colored head.

The diet of the siskin species involves seeds and leaves of all types of plants and occasionally they prey on small insects. The call of these birds prolongs for long durations with a pleasant twittering, and they are known to sing in flight.

These bird species are highly active in nature and continuously forage in the trees as well as on the grounds. They reside in flocks to protect themselves from predators.

If you liked reading this article, then do check out lesser Goldfinch and purple finch.

Hooded Siskin Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a hooded siskin?

The hooded siskin is a bird that is native to South America.

What class of animal does a hooded siskin belong to?

The hooded siskin belongs to the class Aves of the Fringillidae family just like chaffinches.

How many hooded siskins are there in the world?

Though the exact number of hooded siskins is not recorded, there are 11 subspecies of hooded siskin present in the world. These birds are observed to be common in their natural range, with a stable population.

Where does a hooded siskin live?

This species of bird is native to South America and ranges throughout Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela, and a few other places.

What is a hooded siskin's habitat?

This species of finch inhabits agricultural regions, woodlands, savannas, parks, and gardens. They are known to thrive in dense plantations and in bushy areas. These pretty yellow birds range up to an elevation of 16,400 ft (4998.72 m) above sea level.

Who do hooded siskins live with?

This siskin species live in pairs or in groups. They tend to appear in flocks while foraging in order to defend themselves from predators. These birds are also seen to accompany other birds of the Carduelis genus, for example, greenfinches and yellow-breasted finches, and often engage themselves in aggressive fights.

How long does a hooded siskin live?

Hooded siskins, when protected and well cared for, are known to have a lifespan of 11-14 years in captivity. In the wild, these birds often succumb to poor environmental conditions and also become prey to wild predators.

Their eggs are mostly preyed upon by reptiles, birds of prey, and other small mammals. Due to this reason, these species of yellow finches can live up to two to three years in the wild.

How do they reproduce?

These birds reproduce by laying about two to three eggs. They usually find their partners and breed in the months of March to June.

The females start building their nest in the month of October. Their nest is usually built on treetops. The pairs of this species are known to consume a large number of insects when they breed and also forages on a variety of plants.

The male finch is known to accompany its partner after they breed and also maintains its territory around the nest. Both the parents participate in feeding their chicks.

What is their conservation status?

Hooded siskins (Spinus magellanicus) are listed as a species of Least Concern by the International Union For Conservation Of Nature or IUCN Red List. Although their population is stable as of now, the increased number of hooded siskins for sale and habitat loss due to deforestation can pose a potential threat to this species.

Hooded Siskin Fun Facts

What do hooded siskins look like?

Hooded siskins are small birds that have a yellow body with black striped plumage, unlike the red hooded siskin which has a deep red plumage. They exhibit sexual dimorphism. The male bird possesses a dark blackhead, while the female species have more of an olive green head.

The wings are more extensive in males. The breast part of this bird exhibits pale orange coloration.

They have a small black tail with yellow hues at the base. The eyes of these species are black and beady, the bill is blunt and short. Their legs are dark gray in color.

How cute are they?

This siskin species of South America is extremely cute because of its tiny body and beautiful yellow and black plumage.

How do they communicate?

These siskins and their subspecies communicate by their melodious twitterings that can continue for long durations. Their calls are usually heard while they are perched or in flight. They also flutter their wings to show aggression to other bird species.

How big is a hooded siskin?

The hooded siskin of South America is about 3.9-4.7 in (10-12 cm) in length and is bigger than bee hummingbirds, which are only about 2.1-2.4 in (5.5-6.1 cm).

How fast can a hooded siskin move?

These siskins have an undulating flight, where they alternate between flapping and closing their wings. This ability is due to their small body size and extensive plumage. However, there is no specific information available on their speed.

How much does a hooded siskin weigh?

These siskins weigh about0.38- 0.54 oz (11-15.5 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no sex-specific names attributed to the male and female birds of this species.

What would you call a baby Hooded Siskin?

Baby siskins are called chicks.

What do they eat?

The diet of these siskins primarily involves seeds, just like the red siskins, and a variety of plants, including lettuce. They also prey on small insects found on the trees and ground.

Are they dangerous?

The siskins are not at all dangerous and do not impose any threat on humans. On the contrary, they are predated upon by a large number of raptors, reptiles, and smaller mammals.

Would they make a good pet?

This species of finches are excellent pets due to their small size and colorful appearance. They are quite easy to maintain and can thrive well if protected and cared for.

Did you know...

Hooded siskins have evolved through adaptive radiation. This means these birds have diverged from a single ancestral species, into a number of different forms. Environmental changes, new biotic interactions, and the availability of new resources contribute to adaptive radiation.

Hooded siskins closely resemble male thick-billed siskins. However, the latter has a whitish-gray-toned mid-belly region, which can be used to differentiate the two. Some populations of the hooded siskins in the Andes region are very closely related to the thick-billed siskins.

It is essential to acclimatize the siskin when they are moved to aviaries because they are highly sensitive to temperature and often succumb to harsh climate conditions. They are best suited in temperatures of 75-80 ℉ (23.88-26.66 ℃) and thrive well in pairs.

Different types of Hooded Siskin

There are about 11 subspecies of this siskin, some of which are extensively spotted in Argentina and the distribution of the different types of these subspecies range throughout the south Andean regions. For instance, the Spinus magellanicus bolivianus is spotted in South Bolivia, while the Spinus magellanicus paulus inhabits large parts of Southern Ecuador to southern Peru.

The Spinus magellanicus tucumanus species are seen in West Andes and the foothills of northern Argentina.

Is a Siskin a finch?

The siskin is a finch of the genus Spinus that belongs to the Fringillidae family, which consists of true finches. Other siskins of this kind are the red hooded siskin, pine siskin, and the black hooded siskin.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these painted bunting facts and fairy pitta facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable boho bird coloring pages.