Into late January and early February, you may notice a feathered friend that often stays in forested areas more frequently than in your gardens or around bird-feeders. The Siskin, a small finch easily visible in flight with its pointed bill and deeply forked tail, often arrives much later in the winter than other garden birds. On a spring morning in 2024, one such bird was safely caught and ringed by a BirdWatch Ireland ringer in their Wicklow garden. That spring there was surge in Siskin activity in gardens, and by the end of the year, over 1,300 Siskins were tagged in Ireland—nearly 12 times the amount tagged in 2023.
Almost exactly one year later to the day, the same Siskin was caught by a ringer in Scotland, 266 km away. While not particularly surprising in terms of distance or location, its appearance, or lack thereof, reveals other environmental trends—the same trends that explain why Siskins wait to show up until mid-winter.
It’s all about the food
Siskins can be found year-round in Ireland but tend to stick to coniferous and alder woodlands to feast on a variety of pinecones and alder cones. Only once these food sources begin to wane do they venture more to garden feeders for a fresh supply of sunflower seeds.
Availability in natural food sources also explains why a Siskin may, for example, winter one year in Wicklow and the next in west Scotland. In the late winter and early spring months of 2024, poor food availability in Scotland resulted in a large flux of Siskins traveling further south. Then, in 2025, more food was accessible for the Siskins, meaning that particular individual didn’t need to travel to Wicklow.
Looking for Siskins
While both sexes have black and yellow markings on the wings and tail and a yellow rump, males are more brightly coloured and show a black crown and tiny bib. An unusual characteristic that helps Siskins stand out at your feeder is that they can hang upside-down, not a feat many of our garden birds can do!
If you want to attract more Siskins to your garden, buy some sunflower seeds and feeders from our shop, then keep any eye out for Siskins and record them for the Irish Garden Bird Survey.
