Black-chinned Siskin

Carduelis barbata
Local Name: Siskin, Canary
Breeding Range: Falklands, Chile and Argentina
Length: 13cm.
Falklands Population: ~1,000 breeding pairs
World Population: unknown

Black-chinned Siskin
Black-chinned Siskin

The Black-chinned Siskin is a woodland bird, and in the Falklands it is restricted to islands with dense tussac grass, or settlements with planted trees or shrubs, especially gorse. Only the male has the black facial markings, the female also being slightly duller than the male. Nests of fine grasses lined with down are hidden above ground in the branches of trees and shrubs, or in dense tussac grass. Three to five eggs per clutch are laid between September and December, with up to three broods per year being possible. The planting of trees and shrubs around settlements has undoubtedly helped the Black-chinned Siskin, but the loss of 80% of the Falklands tussac grass due to over grazing may well have led to an overall reduction in the population. It is a friendly bird, well able to co-exist with human settlement.

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Drawing by Mike Bingham, ©2022

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