A tiny, neat finch of pine forest and mixed woodland that visits gardens in late winter and spring; outside the breeding season it feeds in tight-knit, coordinated flocks.

In winter Siskins dash in and out of the tops of spruce, alder, and larch trees in tight, coordinated, busy-looking flocks. They are often mixed with redpolls, sometimes with Goldfinches: all of them tiny, delicate birds. Siskins visit gardens, especially in March and April, and a close view of one on a peanut basket reveals just how minute it really is: barely as big as a Blue Tit. Size alone is a good clue to its identity, especially combined with the green, yellow, and black patterns of a male, but against a grey sky in winter Siskins often appear as little more than silhouettes. Then their calls provide the best means of separating them from redpolls.