hanging upside down is not a trick. it's a lifestyle.
Siskin says
Bird 7 of 30 · video, 13:48
Siskin
Spinus spinus
A small, bold green-and-yellow finch that feeds head-down and has a soft spot for red nut holders.
- Tiny, 12.9 g
- Stays all year
- High in a tree
- On a feeder or bird table
About the siskin
Marks and dots
Tap a numbered dot, or a name in the list.
The male wears a black cap; the female does not.
Bright green and yellow plumage.
Females lack the black cap.
Somewhat duller than the male.
From egg to adult
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Egg
Eggs4–5 eggs≠BTOthe video says 3–5 eggs
Hatch after12–13 days BTO
-
Chick in the nest
In the nest forabout 15 days video, BTO agrees
-
Young bird
The video does not describe young siskins.
Adult
Bright green and yellow, black cap on the male
Broods a year2 broods video, BTO agrees
BTO prints no average incubation and nest time for this bird, so there is no nest clock.
At the table
- peanuts, from a red holder
- seeds, head-down
Siskins feed at a nut holder with their heads hanging down, and seem especially attracted to red peanut holders, possibly because their favourite natural food is the red alder cone.
This page mentions bird tables. Since April 2026 the RSPB and the BTO advise against them, and say to feed seeds and peanuts only from November to April. What changed, and why.
Through the year
Siskin: around Jan to Dec.
What to know about the siskin
Eight short notes in our own words. Each chip says what the note stands on, and links to its row in the table below.
What to look for
The male has bright green and yellow plumage and a black cap. It can be mistaken for a greenfinch, but a siskin is considerably smaller.
The young
The video does not describe young siskins.
not in the video
Song and call
The video does not describe the siskin's song or call.
not in the video
Nest
Conifer plantations are the favourite nesting place, though gardens planted with junipers and cypresses have occasionally been chosen. The nest is small and tidy, usually high up on a branch.
Feeding
Siskins feed at a nut holder with their heads hanging down, and seem especially attracted to red peanut holders, possibly because their favourite natural food is the red alder cone.
Staying or leaving
Once found only in Scotland and Ireland, siskins now turn up at tables across Britain. The Scottish Highlands are still their main stronghold, but more conifer plantations have helped them spread. BTO says they breed throughout Britain and Ireland, and that winter numbers are boosted by arrivals from elsewhere in Europe.
In the garden
A real bonus for a garden watcher: fascinatingly assertive feeders that can appear all year round.
Sources and checks
Where every fact about the siskin came from
17 claims about the siskin: 3 checked, 10 from the video only,1 differ, 3 from a source only. How the grades work
| Claim, in our words | Video time | Grade | What the source says |
|---|---|---|---|
| The male siskin has bright green and yellow plumage with a black cap. | 14:05 | video only | |
| Females lack the black cap and are somewhat duller. | 14:12 | video only | |
| A siskin could be mistaken for a greenfinch but is considerably smaller. | 14:17 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO's adult weights are 12.9 g for the siskin and 27.7 g for the greenfinch. |
| Siskins characteristically feed at a nut holder with their heads hanging down. | 14:22 | video only | |
| They seem particularly attracted to red peanut holders, possibly because their favourite natural food is the red alder cone. | 14:26 | video only | |
| A relatively recent addition to British bird tables: once found only in Scotland and Ireland, with the Scottish Highlands still the main stronghold, and now more widespread thanks to more conifer plantations. | 13:48 | video only | |
| BTO says siskins breed throughout Britain and Ireland, and that winter numbers are boosted by arrivals from elsewhere in Europe. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05BTO's introduction to the species. |
| Conifer plantations are the preferred nesting site, though gardens planted with junipers and cypresses have occasionally been chosen. | 14:38 | video only | |
| The nest is small and tidy, usually high up on a branch. | 14:47 | video only | |
| There are two broods a year.video: 2 broods | 14:51 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 2 broods (BTO typical)inside BTO's typical range of 2 |
| Each brood is three to five eggs.video: 3–5 eggs | 14:54 | ≠differs | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 4–5 eggs (BTO typical)outside BTO's typical range of 4–5, though inside the 3–6 BTO has observed |
| The eggs hatch in up to 12 days. | 14:58 | video only | The video's automatic captions are unclear here, so only the upper figure is legible. BTO's typical incubation is shown in the life-cycle strip. |
| Young siskins fly the nest after about 15 days.video: about 15 days | 15:00 | checked | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 13–15 days (BTO typical)inside BTO's typical range of 13–15 |
| The siskin is an added bonus for the garden watcher. | 15:04 | video only | |
| Siskins are fascinatingly assertive feeders that will appear all year round. | 15:07 | video only | |
| Adult weight, from ringing records: 12.9 g, adult average. | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 12.9 g, adult average |
| Incubation takes 12–13 days (BTO typical). | source only | source only | BTO, read 2026-10-05: 12–13 days (BTO typical) |
Written in our own words after “British Birds in your Garden” by The Great British Channel, where the siskin starts at 13:48.Numbers are checked against the BTO's page for the siskin, read on 5 October 2026. We are not connected to the channel or to the BTO.
More birbs: 30 so far, and more to come
The coins down the right of the screen are all 30. Tap one to go to that bird.