Pine Siskins in Michigan

Pine Siskins live in Michigan all year. Lake-effect snow and long cold spells; Purple Finches breed in the north and winter farther south. That makes the cold months the time your yard matters most to them: their winter diet shifts toward spruce, birch and alder seed.

Humid continental, strongly shaped by the Great Lakes; colder and snowier in the Upper Peninsula.

Across Michigan, pine siskins typically nest from April–June. Nest site: shallow cup far out on a conifer branch. Females lay 3–5 eggs, incubate for 13 days, and young leave the nest after 14–15 days.

A compressed nesting season; bluebirds usually manage one or two broods.

• Pine Siskins don't use nest boxes. Keep dense native shrubs and trees such as eastern hemlock, eastern red cedar for nest sites.
• Delay heavy pruning of shrubs until after June.

Of the regional native plants we track for Michigan, these 8 provide food or cover pine siskins use:

Siskins are prone to salmonella outbreaks at crowded feeders — clean tube feeders weekly during irruptions.

• Best foods: Nyjer, Hulled sunflower.
• In Michigan's winter: Lake-effect snow and long cold spells; Purple Finches breed in the north and winter farther south.

Full diet breakdown for pine siskins · Best feeder for pine siskins