Pine Siskin

Pine Siskin

Spinus pinus

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Portland

In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%

9,168 Verified sightings at Portland
21,860 In all 38 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Pine Siskin

The pine siskin (Spinus pinus) is a North American bird in the finch family. It is a migratory bird with an extremely sporadic winter range. The pine siskin is currently listed as a species of Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.

The pine siskin was formally described in 1810 by the American ornithologist Alexander Wilson under the binomial name Fringilla pinus. The specific epithet pinus is the Latin word for a "pine-tree". The type locality is Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The pine siskin is now placed in the genus Spinus that was introduced in 1816 by the German naturalist Carl Ludwig Koch in 1816.

Three subspecies are recognised: In both sexes, total length can range from 11–14 cm (4.3–5.5 in), with a wingspan of 18–22 cm (7.1–8.7 in) and a weight of 12–18 g (0.42–0.63 oz). Adults are brown on the upperparts and pale on the underparts, with heavy streaking throughout... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call1:17

United States · 2026

© Greg Irving · XC1097608 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Alarm call0:25

United States · 2020

© James Link · XC582575 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Song0:35

United States · 2020

© Steve Hampton · XC544581 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Banff National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~60%
2 Jasper National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~60%
3 Glacier National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
4 Grand Teton National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~50%
5 Reserva de la Biosfera Mariposa Monarca 🇲🇽 Mexico
~40%
6 Rocky Mountain National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~40%
7 Yellowstone National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
8 Gros Morne National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~30%
9 Guadalupe Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
10 Olympic National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
11 Isle Royale National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~30%
12 Great Bear Rainforest 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
13 Riding Mountain National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
14 Grand Canyon National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
15 Yosemite National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
16 Zion National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
17 Cape Breton Highlands National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
18 Kenai Fjords National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
19 Kluane National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
20 Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
21 Big Bend National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
22 Great Smoky Mountains National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
23 Acadia National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
24 Elk Island National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
25 Denali National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
26 Wrangell-St. Elias National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
27 Voyageurs National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
28 Pacific Rim National Park Reserve 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
29 Death Valley National Park 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
30 Redwood National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
31 Saguaro National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
32 Point Pelee National Park 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%
33 Joshua Tree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
34 Badlands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
35 Shenandoah National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
36 Cumbres de Monterrey National Park 🇲🇽 Mexico
<5%
37 Channel Islands National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%
38 Congaree National Park 🇺🇸 United States
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Toluca 🇲🇽 México
~20%
2 Portland 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
3 Seattle 🇺🇸 United States
~20%
4 Vancouver 🇨🇦 Canada
~20%
5 Salt Lake City 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
6 Edmonton 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
7 Calgary 🇨🇦 Canada
~10%
8 Sacramento 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
9 San Francisco 🇺🇸 United States
~10%
10 Montreal 🇨🇦 Canada
<5%

Zoos & Centres Where Found

# Zoo / Centre Country
1 Zoo Pilsen 🇨🇿 Czechia In captivity

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Pine Siskin in Portland?

Possible

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Pine Siskin sighting in Portland on a given day, based on 9,168 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 35th most-seen of the 230 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Pine Siskin in Portland?

November and December

In those months about 40% of wildlife watchers report a Pine Siskin in Portland on a given day, against about 10% in January–February and June–August, the lowest months. Those are among Portland's wettest months, with about 230 mm of rain a month against 10 mm in July.

What time of day is best to see a Pine Siskin?

Between 9 am and noon

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pine Siskin sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Portland the best place to see a Pine Siskin?

Among the best

Of the 31 cities where we can rate Pine Siskin sightings, Portland ranks 2nd at about 20%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Toluca (México, about 20%).

Which relatives of the Pine Siskin live in Portland?

Same genus: Spinus

The closest relatives of the Pine Siskin that you can see in Portland (genus Spinus, Siskins and New World Goldfinches) are Lesser Goldfinch (about 60%) and American Goldfinch (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Pine Siskin sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Pine Siskin is recorded against all the birds logged in Portland (9,168 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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