Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
siskin

siskin

9.9
A small yellow and black bird with a thin pointed beak that eats seeds
  • noun
  • /ˈsɪskɪn/
  • UK
translation icon : siskin
  • New banded species for the year were Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pygmy Nuthatch (6th banding record), and Pine Siskin.
  • Pine siskin

Examples

  • I watched a bright yellow siskin flit from branch to branch in the garden.

  • I talked to that Doug Siskin.

    The Thing Called Love (1993)

  • Doug Siskin.

    The Thing Called Love (1993)

  • There are finches, both purple and gold, pine siskins and grosbeaks, cardinals and phoebes.

    Fiction book (2000)

  • Washo Shamans and Peyotists. Siskin. (H. W. Bowden) 9(1):88.

    Academic text (1992)

  • In the first two weeks, she added twelve birds to her life list, just sitting on the chaise: Pine Siskin, Gray Jay, Pileated Woodpecker (a real find).

    Fiction book (2000)

  • A pair of siskins visited my bird feeder, searching for seeds among the sunflowers.

  • The little siskin chirped joyfully as it perched on the fence, looking for food.

Synonyms

Carduelis spinus
vssiskin
  • Specialized
9.9

A small yellow and black finch with a thin sharp beak often seen in Europe and Asia

is the common name used for that same small Eurasian finch

Compounds

red siskin
9.2

South American small bird with bright red body and black head, wings, and tail

pine siskin
  • US
9.1

A small brown striped bird with some yellow on its wings that often lives near pine trees

Surface Forms

siskin singular
siskins plural

Etymology

Siskin comes from old German and Slavic names for the bird, for example German Siskin and Polish czyż said like 'chizh', and the name likely copies the bird's quick 'sis' sound. So thinking of a tiny yellow finch that goes 'sis' helps you remember that a siskin is a small yellow-and-black finch.