Published by the Smithsonian Institution between the 1920s and
the 1950s, the Bent life history series of monographs provide an
often colorful description of the birds of North America. Arthur
Cleveland Bent was the lead author for the series. The Bent
series is a great resource and often includes quotes from early
American Ornithologists, including Audubon, Townsend, Wilson,
Sutton and many others. Bent Life History for the Pine Siskin -
the common name and sub-species reflect the nomenclature in use
at the time the description was written. SPINUS PINUS (Wilson)
Contributed by RALPH S. PALMER The pine siskin is a social bird
the year round. Breeding individuals join in social flocks away
from the nesting territory, and they sometimes feed in the tree
where the nest is situated. These social groups are small, up to
a half dozen birds, not the large flocks commonly seen outside
the breeding season. From late summer to late winter the pine
siskin associates, roughly in descending order of frequency,
with the re