Yellow Canary Crithagra flaviventris Scientific name definitions

13–14 cm; 10·3–20 g. Medium-sized to large finch with conical bill. Male nominate race has lower forehead and supercilium (to rear of ear-coverts) rich or bright yellow; lores, cheek and ear-coverts olive-green, small crescent of yellow below eye, bright yellow circular or oval patch on lower cheek bordered at front by dusky or olive-green moustachial stripe, latter broadening on side of throat; upper forehead to crown and upperparts green, becoming slightly darker on nape and finely streaked darker, rump and uppertail-coverts unstreaked pale green or yellowish-green; tail blackish-brown, fringed yellow or edged yellowish-green on outer feathers; upperwing blackish-brown, median and greater coverts edged green and tipped yellowish-green, inner secondaries and tertials edged greenish or yellowish; throat and underparts entirely golden-yellow, tinged with green on breast side; iris brown; bill blackish or dark horn, pinkish base of lower mandible; legs dark brown. Differs from yellow races of C. sulphurata in slimmer bill; from C. mozambica in less well-defined face pattern and moustachial stripe. Female has forehead and supercilium pale buff, crown and upperparts olive-brown, broadly streaked darker except for dull olive-yellow rump and uppertail-coverts, and greenish-yellow edges of outer tail feathers; median upperwing-coverts dark brown, finely tipped buffish, greater coverts more broadly tipped buff, tertials finely fringed buffish-white; face pattern like that of male, but lower cheek patch pale buff, broad dark or olive-brown moustachial stripe; whitish-buff underparts streaked brown on breast and flanks; bill greyish-horn above and paler dusky pink below. Juvenile is similar to female, but sexes separable, young male has dark brown feather centres and buff-brown edges on mantle to scapulars, tips of median and greater wing-coverts broadly buffish-brown, underparts pale yellow and streaked heavily dark brown or blackish, juvenile female greyer above and whiter or tinged buffish-brown below and less heavily streaked. Race damarensis has face pattern much less contrasting than nominate, upperparts more yellowish-olive (slightly paler on face) and finely streaked dusky brown, becoming bright yellow on rump, female has rump yellow, tips of wing-coverts pale yellow-buff, edges of greater coverts and of flight-feathers ­yellowish, underparts paler or buffish with fewer streaks on breast and flanks; marshalli has paler or more yellowish-green upperparts more prominently streaked than nominate and paler yellow rump, female has finer or much less streaking on white or yellow-tinged underparts; guillarmodi is larger than other races, upperparts slightly darker than nominate and more heavily streaked on mantle and scapulars, female has face pattern less boldly defined than nominate and more heavily streaked upperparts, also greyer with darker streaks below.

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.

Introduced (nominate race) on Ascension I and St Helena, in S Atlantic Ocean.

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SUBSPECIES

Crithagra flaviventris damarensis Scientific name definitions

Distribution

SW Angola, Namibia (except extreme S), Botswana and adjacent South Africa (extreme NE Northern Cape).

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SUBSPECIES

Crithagra flaviventris flaviventris Scientific name definitions

Distribution

extreme S Namibia and W and SW South Africa (E to W Eastern Cape).

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SUBSPECIES

Crithagra flaviventris marshalli Scientific name definitions

Distribution

SE Botswana, N and C South Africa (Limpopo Province S to Northern Cape, Free State and N Eastern Cape) and lowlands of Lesotho.

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SUBSPECIES

Crithagra flaviventris guillarmodi Scientific name definitions

Distribution

highlands of Lesotho.

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.

Lowland plains of bush and scrub, including acacia (Acacia) and Terminalia woodland patches, also in dry grassland and semi-desert foothills, rocky hillsides, dunes and dune fynbos with grassy scrub cover; also sandy areas near seashore with Euphorbia mauretanica, edges of cultivation and gardens, occasionally along seashore. In Lesotho occurs along edges of lower montane forest and in alpine shrubberies, to 1530 m.

Resident and partial migrant, and nomadic in non-breeding season. Gathers in flocks in non-breeding season and wanders throughout range or beyond in search of feeding areas; moves into S Karoo from N and leaves much of Western Cape during austral winter. Race damarensis possibly only a passage migrant in N Botswana; marshalli occurs annually in E South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal); an infrequent visitor in S Angola, and vagrant in W Zimbabwe.

Mostly seeds and flowers, including those of Amaranthus angustifolius, Amaranthus thunbergi, Sonchus oleraceus, Arctotheca, Bidens, Senecio, Elytropappus, Stoebe, Eriocephalus, Dorotheanthus, Diascia, Cannomis, Cliffortia, Erica, Rumex, Chenopodium (mainly Chenopodium murale), Metalasia, Salsoka kali, Hordeum maritinum, Mesembryanthemum crystallinum, Pelargonium and Tetragonia decumbens, also ripe and unripe seedheads of Microstephium populifolium. Also small numbers of insects, mainly ants (Formicidae) and termites (Isoptera). At study site in SW South Africa, more than 50% of foraging was done in Chenopodium. Lively and active, foraging on the ground, in flowering plants and in bushes and trees; hops and walks while on ground. Forages in pairs and small groups; in non-breeding season in flocks of up to 20 individuals, and up to 100 on migration, occasionally in single-sex flocks; also in mixed-species gatherings with C. albogularis, C. mozambica, Serinus alario, House Sparrows (Passer domesticus), Cape Sparrows (Passer melanurus) and Golden-breasted Buntings (Emberiza flaviventris).

Season Jul–Apr. Monogamous. Solitary breeder; territorial. Male displays in rising, butterfly-like, slow circular flight with shallow wingbeats, sometimes ending by landing on bush where no female present; rarely pursues female in flight. Nest built by female, a shallow cup of dry grass stalks, leaves and seedpods, plant fibres including Clematis tendrils, seedheads, and plant down (mainly of Eriocephalus), often placed low down (to c. 3 m) inside bush or tree. Clutch 2–5 eggs, white, pale blue or pale green, sparsely and finely spotted or lined with purple, black and brown; incubation by female, sitting very tightly, period 12–14 days; chicks fed by both parents, nestling period 14–19 days; young fed by both parents. Nests occasionally parasitized by Diederik Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx caprius).

Not globally threatened. Common, locally common or locally abundant; uncommon to rare in Angola. One specimen and a single sight record from SW Zambia. Recorded breeding densities in South Africa of 17 birds in 40 ha of S Karoo and 74 pairs along 63 km of R Modder (in Northern Cape).