PINE SISKIN (Spinus pinus) 



Siskins are noisy, gregarious birds with a nomadic nature. They may be 

 abundant some years, and scarce in others. In many ways these small, 

 tame, streaked birds with yellow in their wings and at the base of their 

 tails resemble their close relatives, the goldfinches. While in flight, siskins 

 utter light, twittering notes in rhythm with their undulating flight, while 

 at other times their notes are wheezy. Siskins breed chiefly in coniferous 

 forests and are generally common throughout both Yellowstone and Grand 

 Teton. In the summer their food is made up of insects, buds, small leaves, 

 dandelion seeds, and the seeds of conifers. The nest of a siskin is usually 

 found in a conifer. It is a compact and well-constructed cup made of dry 

 roots, grasses, and leaves. 



Red Crossbill Dean E. Biggins 



GREEN-TAILED TOWHEE (Chlomra chlorura) 



The green-tailed towhee is a slender, long-tailed sparrow found chiefly in 

 the low brush of open mountain sides or high sagebrush plains. The best 

 evidence of this shy bird's presence is often its peculiar cat-like mew note, 

 but it also possesses a rich, varied song. When flushed from a perch or 

 hiding place, this species flies close to the ground, pumping its tail while 

 in flight. Like other towhees, the green-tailed towhee spends much of its 

 time on the ground scratching for insects and seeds beneath shrub or bush. 

 This it accomplishes by hopping and then kicking backward with both 

 feet. The green tail for which the species is named is less distinctive than 

 its rufous cap or its white chin. Green-tailed towhees breed primarily on 

 brushy, transitional hillsides in both Yellowstone and Grand Teton. 



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