BLACK CHINNED SISKIN, Cabecita Negra de Corbata, Cardueles barbatus, or 'Why I Plant Sunflowers'

"Cabecita negra" (literally, little black head) is an oft-used, historic racist term in Argentina.

(PATAGONIA, Argentina) - In November or the northern equivalent of just about now, I plant enormous quantities of sunflowers around the periphery of my garden.

These easy-to-grow and robust plants start slowly, but usually by Christmas Day the first sunflower blooms.

By staggering the planting, we have sunny bouquets until late autumn. They provide the entire neighborhood with happiness, and the cab drivers know our home as “la casa de girasoles”. But the most enticing reason to plant sunflowers is just now becoming apparent.

I harvested the plants, saving some seed for next year and some for snacks too, but the majority are lined up and hanging over the fence to provide forage for wild birds.

For the past few weeks, the rufous collared sparrows and flocks of black-chinned siskins (often seen together) have been providing me with cheery song as they come to the yard to feed.

The cabecita negra de corbata or Carduelis barbata is a canary-like bird that resembles finches and cardinals.

The family Carduele is comprised of a group of small birds with conical, sharp, pointed beaks that obtain their food directly from plants or the ground.

They fly in flocks -- often quite large. These good singers have a varied, melodious song heard either alone or in chorus. There are seven species of Carduele in Patagonia.

This particular siskin is about 4 ¾ inches or 128 mm. The beak is dark brown above and yellowish below. The eyes are dark brown. The lorum (or place between the eyes and beak) and the upper part of the head are black.

The ears, neck and chest are olive-yellow with black stripes. The back is olive-yellow and the rump is even more so. The chest and sides are yellow, with the flanks tending toward olive.

The base of the forked blackish tail is yellow. The wings are black with the yellow margins, but closer to the body more greenish and more grayish farther out.

The female is very similar. but without the black head and beard. Her colors are a bit more grayish.

As usual, the young are colored more like the female for reasons of homeland security.

The cabecita negra lives in treed areas and on the bushy steppes of Patagonia, and is seen from Chile and Argentine Rio Negro Province south to Tierra del Fuego, and eastward to the Islas Malvinas.

Breeding takes place in early September through December in the Islas Malvinas; the nest is cup-shaped and made of fine grass, lined with hair, wool or root fibres, placed in the fork of a large bush or tree, or sometimes in the tall grasses. The clutch consists of three to five pinkish-white eggs marked with red-brown spots.

This bird is known for all the variety of postures it assumes while feeding, and is frequently seen hanging upside-down while it pries loose a seed. It is somewhat skittish, but when intent upon a good meal, a person can sneak up closely for a good view.

An interesting side note about the name cabecita negra, directly quoted from Wikipedia: “"Cabecita negra" (literally, little black head) is an oft-used, historic racist term in Argentina. The word was coined after the Spanish name of a native bird, the Hooded Siskin.

It is used to disparage a somewhat nebulous sector of society associated with people that have black hair and medium-dark skin, belonging to the working class.”

Try planting some sunflowers this year; you may not see any siskins but you may see some other birds up close and personal.

Sources: Wikipedia, Manual de los Aves de Patagonia by the Kovacs Family, Birds of Argentina and Uruguay by Tito Narosky and Dario Yzurieta

Gail Parker is a writer and photographer who lives in Argentina. She and her lifetime mate and husband Eddie Zawaski, who also writes for Salem-News.com, are former residents of Oregon, Gail has a great eye for memorable photos in this unique place called Patagonia. Her observations from this amazing wonderland of nature are a fun and welcome addition to our story flow.

Watch for Gail's wonderful coverage of the birds of Patagonia in future stories and photojournals here on Salem-News.com.