- Hooded Siskin
Taxobox
name = Hooded Siskin
image_width = 240px
image_caption = Male
status = LC
status_system = iucn3.1
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Chordata
classis =Aves
ordo =Passeriformes
familia =Fringillidae
genus = "Carduelis "
species = "C. magellanica"
binomial = "Carduelis magellanica"
binomial_authority = (Vieillot, 1805)
synonyms ="Carduelis santaecrucis" (but see text)The Hooded Siskin ("Carduelis magellanica") is a small
passerine bird in the finch family (Fringillidae ), native toSouth America . It belongs to the putativeclade ofNeotropical siskin s in thegenus "Carduelis sensu stricto".There are 11
subspecies including the Santa Cruz Siskin "C. m. santaecrucis" of central and easternBolivia . This is sometimes considered to be a separatespecies .Description
Hooded Siskins are 10 to 14 cm in length. The male is largely green above and yellow below with a black head. It has a narrow yellow collar and a yellow rump. The tail is black with yellow sides to the base and the wings are black with a broad yellow band. Females are duller with a green-brown head, yellow-green breast and sides and a whitish belly.
The twittering song may be uttered from a perch or in flight. It is varied and fast and sometimes contains imitations of other birds.
Distribution and ecology
It inhabits woodland,
savanna s,scrubland , farmland, parks and gardens. It occurs from sea-level up to 5000 m. In eastern South America it is found from centralArgentina north to centralBrazil . In the Andean region it occurs from north-westArgentina and northernChile north to centralColombia . There is an isolated population in south-eastVenezuela ,Guyana and the Brazilian state ofRoraima .It is commonly found in flocks, feeding in trees or bushes or on the ground. The diet consists mainly of seeds together with buds, leaves and some insects.
Geophagy has been observed in this species [Delgado-V. (2006)] .Footnotes
References
*|year=2004|id=53435|title=Carduelis magellanica|downloaded=18 September 2007 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
* (1993): "Finches and Sparrows: an identification guide". Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0-7136-8017-2
* (2006): Observación de geofagia por el Jiguero Aliblanco "Carduelis psaltria" (Fringillidae). ["Report of geophagy in the Lesser Goldfinch "C. psaltria" (Fringillidae)"] . "Boletín de la Sociedad Antioqueña de Ornitología" 16(2): 31-34. [Spanish with English abstract] [http://www.sao.org.co/publicaciones/boletinsao/04-Delgado.GeofagiaCarduelis.pdf PDF fulltext]
* (2003): "Field Guide to the Birds of Chile", Christopher Helm, London. ISBN 0713646888
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