Siskin???

[isobea]

I think Stuart might be right. I used to breed yellow black headed siskins and this bird is similar to the females I had. I seem to remember their heads a somewhat lighter color. As for food: I would make sure she gets enough oily seeds like niger and perilla. Also see if you can find some wild half-ripe grass seeds, dandelion, shepherd's purse, plantain, maybe some sow thistle. My birds, along with the red headed siskins and European goldfinches I kept at the time, always enjoyed a very varied diet. She might also benefit from some sprouted seed.
Iso

[isobea]

If you go the website of 'Birds Express', then to the South America section, you will find what they call the Hooded Siskin (Carduelis magellanica) with pictures of male and female birds. Maybe you can compare yours to those birds and get a definite identification.
Iso

[isobea]

I just enlarged the pix on the Birds Express website and noticed that those birds have dark legs, yours are much lighter.
Now what? Any ideas Stuart?
Iso

[Razasings]

Yea the lighter legs are deff throwing me a curve ball???

[Stuart whiting]

I just enlarged the pix on the Birds Express website and noticed that those birds have dark legs, yours are much lighter.
Now what? Any ideas Stuart?
Iso

Sorry mate but that doesn't really prove anything as such,

It's exactly the same as the European goldfinch that some are dark leged and others have light legs,

What I have noticed over the years and is also well known with other good British finch breeders is that many birds in the wild are mainly dark leged whereas birds in captivity are more white leged,

It's the same with linnets, these birds in the wild every summer the cock gain a Loverly red Crimson chest out in the wild but wil never ever get the red chest in captivity,

This is very much well known amongst us breeders

[gostokom]

YES the skin of the foot peels, you will notice your bird taking it off before the spring. in the wild the foot get tanned quick (melanine)

The beak is also continuously growing, the new cells grow and towards the old one to the end. in the GF, the dark dot on the end of the beak disappears, beak appears pink (blood vessel)