siskin

[ sis-kin ]

noun

1. any of several small, cardueline finches, especially Carduelis spinus, of Europe.

siskin

/ ˈsɪskɪn /

noun

1. a yellow-and-black Eurasian finch, Carduelis spinus
2. pine siskin
   a North American finch, Spinus pinus, having a streaked yellowish-brown plumage

Word History and Origins

Origin of siskin¹

First recorded in 1555–65; from Middle Dutch sijsken, equivalent to sijs (from Middle Low German czītze, from Slavic; compare Sorbian cyž, Czech číž, Polish czyż “siskin,” ultimately imitative of the sound) + -ken diminutive suffix; -kin

Word History and Origins

Origin of siskin¹

C16: from Middle Dutch sīseken, from Middle Low German sīsek; related to Czech čižek, Russian chizh

Example Sentences

As of this writing, it’s logged 194 house finch visits, 83 California towhee drop-bys, 5 squirrel sorties and a lone pine siskin pop in.

From Los Angeles Times

A pine siskin appears to react to the car noise by blasting out a call — see the thick red vertical smear about three-quarters of the way across the image — spanning many frequencies.

From Washington Post

Instead, we found a flock of house finches, another of pine siskins and a diminutive downy woodpecker.

From New York Times

The most chaotic birds overall are probably the goldfinches and their cousins, the pine siskins, Miller said.

From Seattle Times

In front of the lodge, more than a dozen feeders were filled with bridled titmouse, cartoonish acorn woodpeckers, thick-billed, black-headed grosbeaks and gregarious pine siskins.

From New York Times