I posted this, or tried to once, so if this is an extra, please forgive. I had Pine Siskins show up last week for the first time this fall. It was fun to watch them reclaim their feeder, and is strange that I now am filling the feeder regularly after a summer that it was basically left untouched. When the Pine Siskins came this year, though, I noticed that several had yellow heads, chests, and throats. I thought at first sight they were goldfinches, but they are Pine Siskins. Is this color unusual, or do the immature males have this color? I have checked all my books, but found nothing to support that this is the usual coloration. Is it possible that I have a family of hybrids that are half goldfinch?

jvbonham
Centralia, WA
jvbonham at msn.com