Siskin (Chrysomitris), a genus of perching birds belonging to the family Fringillidae, the true finches. The best-known species is the Common Siskin (C. spinus), which occurs from Britain eastward to Japan. This species breeds in the centre and north-east of Scotland, and is a familiar winter visitor to England and Wales. It is also common in some parts of Ireland. The siskin usually builds its nest, which is made of twigs and roots lined with moss, high in the branches of fir and birch trees. Two broods are reared in a season. The prevailing colour is yellowish green, with yellow and black markings on the upper and white on the under surface. The female is altogether dingier in hue than the male. The siskin is a common cage-bird, and will even breed in confinement, but the young are not easily reared.