Yellow-crowned Canary Serinus flavivertex Scientific name definitions

11·5–13 cm; 12·5–17 g. Small, long-tailed finch with double wingbar. Male nominate race has forehead and crown (including side of crown) bright golden-yellow, becoming dingy green on hindcrown and nape, narrow dusky eyestripe, face yellow with lores to ear-coverts olive-green; upperparts bright olive-green, streaked blackish-brown, rump and uppertail-coverts bright greenish-yellow; tail blackish, narrowly fringed greenish-yellow; upperwing black, broad bright yellow tips on median and greater coverts (forming two wingbars), yellow fringes on tertials, middle primaries also edged bright yellow (forming panel on closed wing); below, mostly bright yellow, sometimes tinged greenish on side of breast, whitish lower belly to undertail-coverts; iris brown; upper mandible slate-coloured, lower mandible pale brown; legs fleshy-brown to blackish. Female is like male, but duller and tinged greener, forehead and supercilium dull yellow, crown and upperparts dull olive-green, tinged brownish, except for yellowish-green rump and uppertail-coverts, edges of tail greenish-yellow; tips of median and greater coverts narrower and fringes of tertials and middle primaries edged duller yellow; chin to upper belly pale green or washed yellowish, finely streaked dark on side of breast and flanks. Juvenile is mostly buffish-brown with darker streaks above, rump and uppertail-coverts dark-streaked light buff, tail dark brown, edged yellowish, median and greater coverts with dark brown bases and broadly pale or warm buff-brown tips, edges of flight-feathers and tertials yellowish (or broadly pale buff on tertials), face yellowish-buff, underparts pale yellowish-buff, streaked dark brown, streaks becoming thinner or fading on belly, bill dark horn, paler base of lower mandible. Race sassii is slightly smaller than nominate, male with nape to side of neck greenish, tail entirely yellow except for blackish central shafts and dark outer edges of outer feathers, female similar to nominate but with more blackish-brown on central rectrices (only edges yellowish); huillensis male has head and underparts golden-yellow, upperparts more yellow than other races and unstreaked, median and greater coverts broadly edged pale yellow and tipped slightly paler, flight feathers black, secondaries and lower tertials edged bright yellow, female similar to nominate, dull olive-green with pale yellow rump and some streaks on crown, juvenile like nominate with bright yellow edges on flight-feathers and base of tail and underparts heavily streaked.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Lower montane forest edges and clearings, including juniper (Juniperus) forest and Podocarpus trees within forest, also moorlands, grasslands and savanna with scattered bushes, thorn-scrub with acacia (Acacia) and eucalypt (Eucalyptus) trees, pastures and edges of cultivation and gardens; in S of range occurs also in grasslands with thin or scattered woods, bracken and scrub with heath; frequently in plantations of non-native trees. At 1400–4300 m in E Africa.

Resident, partially migratory and nomadic. Those breeding at higher altitudes in Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi move to lower levels in non-breeding season, mainly Apr–Aug (Kenya), down to c. 1400 m; in NE Zambia and N Malawi resident, but large numbers wander away from breeding areas on Nyika Plateau during Jan–Mar and from Viphya Mts (Malawi) during Mar–Jul.

Diet not well-studied, mostly green seeds, including those of trees, shrubs, small plants and grasses (including cereals, especially Sorghum); occasionally small insects, including grasshoppers (Orthoptera). Forages mostly on ground, also low down in vegetation. Singly and in pairs or small flocks; following breeding season often in flocks of up to c. 50, occasionally to 500 individuals, also in mixed-species foraging flocks.

Song a loud series of mixed rich musical trills, harsher trills and warbles, reminiscent in structure and quality of Carduelis carduelis song, usually given for up to 15 seconds without pause or repeatedly for up to 15 minutes at height of breeding season; also sings in chorus with other males and in slow display-flight. Calls include rising or querulous "sweet", "peet" or combined "sweet-peet", and a liquid trilling, often given repeatedly.

Breeds in all months, mostly Apr–Jun and Oct–Dec. Monogamous. Solitary and territorial. Male has slow, stiff-winged, butterfly-like display-flight. Nest built mostly by female, a cup of plant fibres and roots, plant down and flower petals, placed in fork or along branch 1–2·5 m above ground in tree or tree-heath (Erica arborea). Clutch 2–4 eggs, white or tinged greenish, spotted pale grey and dark brown. No further information.

Not globally threatened. Primarily common to locally common. Locally abundant in Kenya; uncommon in SE Sudan. Locally common but not well known in Angola.