Eurasian Siskin - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

The Siskin was first was described by Linnaeus in 1758 as Fringilla spinus, in the 10th edition of Systema naturae. In 1760, Brisson described the genus Carduelis, where this species would finally be placed.

Despite being found across a wide area it is a monotypic species, that is, there are no distinct subspecies. This could be explained by a number of factors, such as spatial variability of individuals in breeding areas between years, the large overwintering area which supposes a constant genetic interchange, and females having a number of clutches of eggs in one breeding season, each in a different place.

The phylogeny has been obtained by Antonio Arnaiz-Villena et al.