Saffron Siskin

Saffron Siskin

Spinus siemiradzkii

Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Machalilla National Park

In 3 days ~40% in a week ~60%

99 Verified sightings at Machalilla National Park From 2019 to 2026
99 In 1 park
May Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Saffron Siskin

The saffron siskin (Spinus siemiradzkii) is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Ecuador and Peru. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and urban areas. It is threatened by habitat destruction and the IUCN has assessed it as being a "least concern species".

The saffron siskin grows to a length of about 10 to 10.5 cm (3.9 to 4.1 in). Like other siskins, the colours of this bird are black, olive and yellow, with black wings and a prominent yellow band on the bases of the flight feathers and another on the wing coverts. The male differs from the male hooded siskin (Spinus magellanicus) in having an unstreaked, golden-olive back and bright yellow underparts. The female differs from the female hooded siskin by being altogether yellower, with yellow underparts rather than grey.

The saffron siskin is endemic to southwestern Ecuador and northwestern Peru. It is an uncommon bird found near the edges of dry woodland and in adjoining scrubland at altitudes below 600 m (2,000 ft). The behaviour of the saffron siskin is similar to that of the hooded... Wikipedia →

Sounds

Call0:08

Ecuador · 2002

© John V. Moore · XC260070 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Flight call0:09

Ecuador · 1991

© Niels Krabbe · XC243101 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Song0:24

Ecuador · 1993

© Peter Boesman · XC220459 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Machalilla National Park 🇪🇨 Ecuador
~10%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Guayaquil 🇪🇨 Ecuador
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Saffron Siskin in Machalilla National Park?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Saffron Siskin sighting in Machalilla National Park on a given day, based on 99 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 71st most-seen of the 248 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 40%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Saffron Siskin in Machalilla National Park?

May

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Saffron Siskin in Machalilla National Park on a given day, against under 5% in August, the lowest month.

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

Between 10 am and 1 pm

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Saffron 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.

Where else can you see a Saffron Siskin?

Only Machalilla National Park, in our data

Machalilla National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Saffron Siskin sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.

Where does the Saffron Siskin sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Saffron Siskin is recorded against all the birds logged in Machalilla National Park (99 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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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