FINCHforum

Hi, I'm fairly new to the forum. My name is Alecia and I'm looking for a female hooded siskin to keep my male company. I'm in Colorado but distance may or may not be an issue since I'm willing to drive for birds (I've done a couple 4-day roundtrips to pick up birds).

I'm also curious whether a hooded siskin male would accept a black siskin female as a companion. Does anyone know?

Thank you so much! Alecia

ajhunter - Alecia, I checked several importers but I can't find any for sale at this time. I saw some at the Pomona Bird Mart (CA) last October but they were in terrible shape, were being fed the wrong food and looked really sick.
You might want to check with AZ Birds (birdproduct.com) periodically. They don't have any right now but I would call them anyway. They are in Scottsdale, AZ.
Good luck finding your female.
Iso

PS: I would not get a female black siskin as a companion for your male. The chance of getting hybrids is too great.

Iso,

Thank you for your response and thank you VERY much for the legwork you did in checking importers. I really appreciate that!

It's funny you mention AZ Birds -- that's where I got my male hooded siskin! I've been keeping an eye on their website and will continue to do so. I've had good experiences with them so far, so I'm hoping that at some point they'll get a female in.

Thank you also for the info on siskins hybridizing. That was my concern because I wouldn't want hybrids. Thank you for letting me know it would be an issue!

Alecia

ajhunter - Hi Alecia, you are welcome. In the 80s I used to keep and breed yellow black hooded siskins and red hooded siskins. Both species are absolutely lovely birds, easy to keep and easy to breed. I would love to get some again.
Speaking of hybridizing: I had one clutch with one orange baby in it! It turned out to be a male, absolutely gorgeous and the fastest flier I've ever had in almost 40 years of keeping finches.
If I see hooded siskins for sale anywhere, I'll let you know.
Good luck,
Iso