The name siskin when referring to a

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

is derived from an adaptation of the German dialect words ''sisschen'', ''zeischen'', which are diminutive forms of

Middle High German Middle High German (MHG; german: Mittelhochdeutsch (Mhd.)) is the term for the form of German spoken in the High Middle Ages. It is conventionally dated between 1050 and 1350, developing from Old High German and into Early New High German. High ...

(''zîsec'') and

Middle Low German Middle Low German or Middle Saxon (autonym: ''Sassisch'', i.e. " Saxon", Standard High German: ', Modern Dutch: ') is a developmental stage of Low German. It developed from the Old Saxon language in the Middle Ages and has been documented i ...

(''ziseke'', ''sisek'') words, which are themselves apparently of Slavic origin. The name siskin was first recorded in written English in 1562, referring to the

Eurasian siskin The Eurasian siskin (''Spinus spinus'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It is also called the European siskin, common siskin or just siskin. Other (archaic) names include ''black-headed goldfinch'', ''barley bird'' a ...

, ''Spinus spinus''.''Oxford English Dictionary'' ''Spinus'' *

Andean siskin The Andean siskin (''Spinus spinescens'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, subtropical or tropical high-al ...

, ''Spinus spinescens'' *

Antillean siskin The Antillean siskin (''Spinus dominicensis'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae, and the only species of the genus ''Spinus (genus), Spinus'' found in the Caribbean. Distribution and habitat It is endemic to Hispaniola (in both H ...

, ''Spinus dominicensis'' * Black siskin, ''Spinus atratus'' * Black-capped siskin, ''Spinus atriceps'' * Black-chinned siskin, ''Spinus barbatus'' *

Black-headed siskin The black-headed siskin (''Spinus notatus''), also known as the Jonny Bee, is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Mexico, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Its natural habitats are subtropical ...

, ''Spinus notatus'' *

, ''Spinus spinus'' *

Hooded siskin The hooded siskin (''Spinus magellanicus'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family (Fringillidae), native to South America. It belongs to the putative clade of neotropical siskins in the genus '' Spinus sensu lato''. There are 11 subspe ...

, ''Spinus magellanicus'' * Olivaceous siskin, ''Spinus olivaceus'' *

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. Taxonomy The pine siskin was formally described in 1810 by the American ornithologist Alexander ...

, ''Spinus pinus'' * Red siskin, ''Spinus cucullatus'' *

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. ...

, ''Spinus siemiradzkii'' * Thick-billed siskin, ''Spinus crassirostris'' * Yellow-bellied siskin, ''Spinus xanthogastrus'' *

Yellow-faced siskin The yellow-faced siskin (''Spinus yarrellii'') is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Brazil and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist mountains, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, arable ...

, ''Spinus yarrellii'' * Yellow-rumped siskin, ''Spinus uropygialis'' ''Crithagra'' and ''Serinus'' *

Cape siskin The Cape siskin (''Crithagra totta'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is an endemic resident breeder in the southern Cape Province of South Africa. This locally common but shy and unobtrusive siskin is found in the southwestern ...

, ''Crithagra totta'' *

Drakensberg siskin The Drakensberg siskin (''Crithagra symonsi'') is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is an endemic resident breeder in the eastern Cape Province Transkei and western Natal in South Africa, and in Lesotho. This species is sometimes c ...

, ''Crithagra symonsi'' * Ethiopian siskin, ''Serinus nigriceps''

References

External links

Siskin videos, photos and sounds
on the Internet Bird Collection {{Animal common name Bird common names Finches German words and phrases Slavic words and phrases