ANIMAL: Red Siskin Spinus cucullatus Type of Animal: Songbird Habitat: Open relatively dry foothill & mountain forest/nearby disturbed areas, tropical wet mountain & foothill forest/nearby disturbed areas, deciduous forest/nearby disturbed areas, tropical dry forest, spiny scrub forest-savanna ecotones/nearby disturbed areas, humid foothills, open country w/ trees/shrubs, disturbed humid premontane forest, forest edge, grassland, mountainous areas, savanna, savanna bush islands, tropical/subtropical open forest, tropical/subtropical shrubland, lowland/foothill woodland, agricultural areas, coffee plantations, gardens, cities Location(s): Found in N Colombia, N Venezuela, Guyana, Trinidad, Puerto Rico, & Cuba. Appearance: Small bird, male deep red w/ black on head/throat/flight feathers/tail tips & whitish lower belly/under tail, female grey on head/breast/upper parts, red rump/upper tail, grey breast w/ reddish flanks, black on wings/underparts/tail, immature females paler, immature males brown, short conical beak Food/Diet: Seeds, fruit, flower buds/heads, herbaceous plants, leafy greens, berries, insect larvae, insects Status in Wild: Endangered Conservation: Breeding in zoos & wildlife centers. Opening of Red Siskin Conservation Center at Leslie Pantin Zoo in Turmero, Venezuela in 2019. Founding of Red Siskin Initiative (RSI) in 2015 as collaboration between Smithsonian scientists & other US scientists as well as Venezuelan & Guyanese scientists. Rescues of trafficked birds. Reintroductions into areas of native range. Lifestyle: Historically, flocks numbered in the hundreds. Flocks usually number around 6-8 birds nowadays. Additional Info: Called: Male: Cock Female: Hen Young: Chick Group: Flock Weight: 0.31-0.32 oz Gestation: 2 weeks Life Span: 4-5 years in wild, 8 years in captivity Height: 3.9-4 in Body Length: 3.9-4 in Main predators are raptors, snakes, opossums, & feral/domestic cats. Endangered due to habitat loss, wildlife trade, deforestation, agriculture, climate change, hunting for feathers, & hybridization w/ domestic canaries to create “red canaries.” Females lay 3-5 eggs. Builds cup-shaped nests made of fibrous bark or grass strips. Chicks fledge at 2 weeks old but may stay for a month longer. Breed twice a year. Fun Facts: Males have musical song w/ trills. Official bird of Venezuela’s Lara state.
