The birds at the feeder have gone through an interesting progression. First it was a "development" of House Finches, easily identified by their red color. Then a "banditry" of Chestnut-backed Chickadees. And now a "company" of Pine Siskins. Plus the occasional House Sparrow and Spotted Towhee. The towhees are a little big for the feeder perches so they mostly sit nearby and gaze longingly at all that food.
At first I wasn't sure what they were. They looked like small sparrows but none of the sparrows in my bird guide had yellow on the wings. I looked at "small" local birds but didn't see them. It wasn't till I looked at "extra small" birds that I found them. Pine Siskins are in the finch family. There were lots of them and the ones that weren't competing over the feeder perched in the nearby magnolia tree, where I could photograph them through the window. A window isn't ideal, but with a little work on the computer they're reasonable. This shot shows the yellow and the notched tail.
Another identifying feature is the heavy streaking.
They are puffed up to stay warm in these photos. They are actually slimmer birds. Pine Siskins can survive in colder weather than other songbirds due to their higher metabolism.
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