The Pine Siskin, known in French as Tarin des pins, and is notable for its acrobatics, and its high energy and constant twittering. This very winter-hardy species can survive temperatures as low as -70 degrees Celsius, and they actually store significant amounts of seed in their throat crop as an energy reserve to survive cold winter nights.

Pine Siskin. Photographed by Donna Pomeroy.

Each week we introduce a new bird from the Ottawa-Gatineau area. Alex MacDonald, Nature Canada’s Manager of Protected Areas, shares interesting facts about the birds that live in our communities. Listen to past episodes on our website.

This episode aired on Saturday March 1, 2014.