siskin

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a small greenish-yellow Eurasian finch, Spinus spinus, related to the goldfinch

   A siskin clung upside down to the alder cone while feeding on its seeds.

2. 2
   noun

   any of several similar finches, especially members of the genus Spinus

   The aviary housed a red siskin beside several other small finches.

Borrowed from a German dialect diminutive such as Sisschen or Zeischen, ultimately related to Slavic bird names such as Czech cizek. English records the name from the sixteenth century.

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