Red Siskin Carduelis/Spinus cucullata/us

Red Siskin
Red Siskin male
Red Siskin
The Red Siskin, is native to northwestern South America, mainly Venezuela. The male (above) has deep red plumage with black and white markings, a black head and a white lower belly.
Red Siskin female
Red Siskin female
Red Siskin female
The female is a plainer, a muted orange grey version with a grey head.
Red Siskin
Red Siskin male
Red Siskin
Like other siskins, they form flocks, and large flocks used to be common over Venezuela but were trapped on such an industrial scale to be killed and have their genes used to genetically modify caged canaries to be red. Some males were also used to produce red canary hybrids. Habitat loss exacerbated the problem.
Red Siskin
Red Siskin male
Red Siskin
By the end of the twentieth century, wild Red Siskins were nearly extinct, with fewer than 1000 birds estimated to be remaining in the wild.
Red Siskin
Red Siskin male
Red Siskin
With conservation efforts since, populations are recovering slightly, but remain endangered.