Reichard's Seedeater Crithagra reichardi Scientific name definitions

This brown, and very streaky, seedeater of highland areas across much of East Africa, from Ethiopia south to Zambia, is surprisingly poorly known, and is rather uncommon in many parts of its range (e.g. Ethiopia, South Sudan), or even declining in others (Malawi), with very few published data concerning its ecology and natural history, although the species was described as long ago as the 1880s. In the north of its range, Reichard’s Seedeater appears to be found mainly in reasonably open habitats, including light woodland, but in the south it prefers little-disturbed miombo woodland. Given the Reichard’s Seedeater’s disjunct range and the presence of two reasonably well-marked subspecies, which have been suggested to quite clearly differ in their vocalizations, it is unsurprising that several authors have recently touted the hypothesis that more than one species is involved.

Medium-sized, slender-billed, and heavily streaked brown finch, otherwise characterized by a long white supercilium, a solid face patch, but no malar stripe. Recalls several other streaky-plumaged seedeaters across its broad, but rather disjunct, highland range.

C. r. striatipectus is distinguished from (C. canicapilla) mainly by the shorter supercilium and heavy streaks on a paler breast, which features can also be used to separate the nominate subspecies from Streaky-headed Seedeater (C. gularis). Both subspecies of Reichard’s Seedeater can be separated from Streaky Seedeater (C. striolata) mainly by their slightly smaller size, whitish streaks on the forehead and crown, no whitish patch on the lower ear-coverts, less heavily streaked upperparts, and grayish-buff ground colour to the underparts. C. r. reichardi can be distinguished from Black-eared Seedeater (C. mennelli) by its brown, not black, face patch, and not clearly demarcated below by white.

Nestling

Undescribed.

Juvenile

Similar to adult, but has warmer buffish-brown upperparts with heavy dark streaks, supercilium dull buffish, warm buff-brown tips on median and greater coverts forming distinct double wingbar, tertials also fringed warm buff-brown, and underparts finely streaked on breast and flanks.

Adult

Sexes alike. Forehead to hindcrown dark brown, heavily streaked buffish white (lower forehead may be all white: all feathers white basally, tipped dark brown), nape and sides of neck lighter brown, streaked darker (or finely tipped with white). Long, broad white supercilium to side of nape. Lores, cheeks, and ear-coverts dark brown; upperparts brown, indistinctly streaked darker brown, rump and uppertail-coverts unstreaked plain brown. Tail dark brown. Upperwing dark brown, median and greater coverts narrowly fringed paler brown and tipped grayish buff, flight feathers finely edged buffish on secondaries and tertials (in fresh plumage), tertials also tipped grayish buff. Two wingbars, of which that on the median coverts is less conspicuous than that on the greater coverts. Chin and throat white, faintly tinged or washed buffish, becoming grayish buff on breast and flanks, heavy brown streaks across breast and more lightly streaked on lower breast and flanks, with belly to undertail-coverts buffish white. Underwing-coverts and axillaries pale gray-buff.

No information.

Bill

Dark brown to pale grey or slate-grey, with a paler base to the mandible.

Iris

Dark brown or black.

Legs and Feet

Dark brown or blackish.

Linear Measurements

Overall length 12.5–13.5 cm.

Linear measurements (in mm, with means and sample sizes in parentheses, from Fry et al. 1 Fry, C. H., and S. Keith, Editors (2004). The Birds of Africa. Volume 7. Sparrows to Buntings. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ):

Mass

C. r. reichardi 11.3–17.2 g (Malawi); C. r. striatipectus 14.3–22.0 g (Ethiopia, northwest Kenya; n = 18) (1 Fry, C. H., and S. Keith, Editors (2004). The Birds of Africa. Volume 7. Sparrows to Buntings. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Rather than part of the present species, C. r. striatipectus has been considered a race of Streaky-headed Seedeater (C. gularis), although it is now known to occur sympatrically with C. g. elgonensis on Mt Elgon and the Kongolai Escarpment, in western Kenya, and does not respond to playback of the song of C. gularis from southern Africa (2 Zimmerman, D. A., D. A. Turner, and D. J. Pearson (1996). Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ). Recently, Turner (3 Turner, D. A. (2013). Remarks concerning two sympatric seedeaters Poliospiza spp. in northwestern Kenya. Scopus 32:49–51. Close ), Dickinson and Christidis (4 Dickinson, E. C., and L. Christidis, Editors (2014). The Howard and Moore Complete Checklist of the Birds of the World. Fourth Edition. Volume 2: Passerines. Aves Press, Eastbourne, UK. Close ), and del Hoyo and Collar (5 del Hoyo, J., and N. J. Collar (2016). Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ), in a long speculated move, elected to treat C. r. striatipectus and C. r. reichardi as species apart. Based on Tobias et al. (6 Tobias, J. A., N. Seddon, C. N. Spottiswoode, J. D. Pilgrim, L. D. C. Fishpool, and N. J. Collar (2010). Quantitative criteria for species delimitation. Ibis 152(4):724–746. Close ) criteria (scores in parentheses), del Hoyo and Collar (5 del Hoyo, J., and N. J. Collar (2016). Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ) considered that the former taxon differs from the latter in its brown-streaked versus plain white chin and upper throat (2); paler, browner and much more extensive streaking below, continuing onto upper belly and flanks (3); marginally more whitish, less blackish streaking on crown (1); flighty versus more sluggish behaviour (7 Stevenson, T. and Fanshawe, J. (2002). Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi. T. & A.D. Poyser, London. Close ) (1); and seemingly somewhat different songs, although both involve much mimicry (7 Stevenson, T. and Fanshawe, J. (2002). Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi. T. & A.D. Poyser, London. Close , 8 Dowsett, R. J., and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2015). New avian observations from south-western Ethiopia, with a review of overlooked literature and altitudinal limits. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 135(3):224–239. Close ) and recorded material is currently very scarce. The situation was briefly reviewed by Turner and Pearson (9 Turner, D. A., and D. J. Pearson (2015). Systematic and taxonomic issues concerning some East African bird species, notably those where treatment varies between authors. Scopus 34:1–23. Close ).

There is evidence, see previous section, of geographical variation in plumage, behavior, and vocalizations, although more detailed work is required to fully elucidate some of these purported differences.

Several authors (19 van den Elzen, R. and Nemeschkal, H.L. (1991). Radiation in African canaries (Carduelidae): a comparison of different classificatory approaches. Pp. 459–467 in: Bell, B.D., Cossee, R.O., Flux, J.E.C., Heather, B.D., Hitchmough, R.A., Robertson, C.J.R. & Williams, M.J. eds. (1991). Acta XX Congressus Internationalis Ornithologici. New Zealand Ornithological Congress Trust Board, Wellington, New Zealand. Close , 1 Fry, C. H., and S. Keith, Editors (2004). The Birds of Africa. Volume 7. Sparrows to Buntings. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 20 Ryan, P.G., Wright, D., Oatley, G., Wakeling, J., Cohen, C., Nowell, T.L., Bowie, R.C.K., Ward, V. and Crowe, T.M. (2004). Systematics of Serinus canaries and the status of Cape and Yellow-crowned Canaries inferred from DNA and morphology. Ostrich 75(4):288–294. Close ) have recognized two main groups of African serins: the Poliospiza and Crithagra groups. Fry and Keith (1 Fry, C. H., and S. Keith, Editors (2004). The Birds of Africa. Volume 7. Sparrows to Buntings. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ) recognized Poliospiza as a subgenus comprising Black-eared Seedeater (C. mennelli), Streaky-headed Seedeater (C. gularis), C. reichardi, and Brown-rumped Seedeater (C. tristriata). A molecular study, sampling both mitochondrial and nuclear genes, recovered the present species (a sample from Tanzania, i.e. C. r. reichardi) as closely related to both Streaky-headed Seedeater and Black-eared Seedeater (21 Nguembock, B., J. Fjeldså, A. Couloux, and E. Pasquet (2009) Molecular phylogeny of Carduelinae (Aves, Passeriformes, Fringillidae) proves polyphyletic origin of the genera Serinus and Carduelis and suggests redefined generic limits. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 51: 169–181. Close ). In the latter phylogeny, the proposed Poliospiza group was represented by C. mennelli, C. gularis and C. reichardi, but monophyly was not well supported, although all three were clearly distantly related to the European Serin (Serinus serinus) group. The analysis was not adequate to confirm or invalidate the Poliospiza group (21 Nguembock, B., J. Fjeldså, A. Couloux, and E. Pasquet (2009) Molecular phylogeny of Carduelinae (Aves, Passeriformes, Fringillidae) proves polyphyletic origin of the genera Serinus and Carduelis and suggests redefined generic limits. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 51: 169–181. Close ).

The species’ scientific and vernacular names celebrate Paul Reichard (1845–1938), a German engineer, geographer, and collector in East Africa during the period 1880–1884 (22 Jobling, J. A. (2010). Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. A. & C. Black, London, UK. Close ).

Nothing known.

Ranges, disjunctly, from western and southern Ethipia, and extreme southern South Sudan, south through parts of western and central Kenya, and the western half of Tanzania, to southern DR Congo, much of Zambia and Malawi, and very locally in northern Mozambique.

None reported.

Occurs at 1,200–2,000 m on grassy hillsides and escarpments with shrubs and scattered trees; also combretaceous woodland in Ethiopia (13 Ash, J. S. and J. Atkins (2009). Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea: an Atlas of Distribution. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). At least in Kenya, where it occurs in similar areas to those in Ethiopia, the species’ range is largely confined to areas with more than 500 mm rainfall p.a., mainly at 1,600–2,000 m (23 Lewis, A. D., and D. E. Pomeroy (1989). A Bird Atlas of Kenya. A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Close , 2 Zimmerman, D. A., D. A. Turner, and D. J. Pearson (1996). Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ). In South Sudan, C. reichardi is found in open woodland (11 Nikolaus, G. (1989). Birds of South Sudan. Scopus Special Supplement 3:1–124. Close ). Further south, the nominate subspecies is apparently confined to Brachystegia, Burkea, and Baikiaea woodlands, locally around rocks or at edge of riparian woodland, at 1,000–1,900 m in Zambia (16 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium Close ) and 1,000–1,800 m in Malawi (18 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2006). The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ), or, in southern Tanzania, woodlands comprising mainly Faurea, Protea, Uapaca, and Brachystegia, at 500–1,950 m (1 Fry, C. H., and S. Keith, Editors (2004). The Birds of Africa. Volume 7. Sparrows to Buntings. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Once in a mealie garden in northern Mozambique (24 Vincent, J. (1936). The birds of northern Portuguese East Africa. Comprising a list of, and observations on, the collections made during the British Museum Expedition of 1931-1932. Part 10. Ibis 78(1):48–125. Close ).

Sedentary.

No information on diet; presumably takes a variety of small seeds (1 Fry, C. H., and S. Keith, Editors (2004). The Birds of Africa. Volume 7. Sparrows to Buntings. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Forages low down in vegetation and on ground; perches higher in bushes and trees, also known to pursue insects in flight from treetop (1 Fry, C. H., and S. Keith, Editors (2004). The Birds of Africa. Volume 7. Sparrows to Buntings. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Generally shy and inconspicuous unless singing. In pairs and small flocks (perhaps family parties) of c. 5; in non-breeding season may gather into larger flocks of up to 25 individuals (1 Fry, C. H., and S. Keith, Editors (2004). The Birds of Africa. Volume 7. Sparrows to Buntings. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 16 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium Close ), and in Malawi and Zambia it is often found with Black-eared Seedeater (C. mennelli) (18 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2006). The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close , 16 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium Close ).

Given comments suggesting that two species are involved, based partially on differences in vocalizations (7 Stevenson, T. and Fanshawe, J. (2002). Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi. T. & A.D. Poyser, London. Close , 8 Dowsett, R. J., and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2015). New avian observations from south-western Ethiopia, with a review of overlooked literature and altitudinal limits. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 135(3):224–239. Close , 5 del Hoyo, J., and N. J. Collar (2016). Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ), the two subspecies are considered separately below.

C. r. striatipectus. Sings from atop small tree or during display-flight (2 Zimmerman, D. A., D. A. Turner, and D. J. Pearson (1996). Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ); song said to be rather different from that of C. r. reichardi, but no detailed study of this issue is available. In northwest Kenya gives a mixture of rich trills interspersed with some very unmusical twittering coupled with much repetition and extensive imitations of other bird species, rendered djee-djee-djee-djee-tchuee-tchuee-tchuee-titititititit-tsitsi-tsuee-tsuee-tsuitit-tsuiti or twe-twe-twe teedle-ew, weet-weet-weet-weet, queedle-queedle-queedle whicher-whicher chrrrrrrrrrr, teu, teu-teu (2 Zimmerman, D. A., D. A. Turner, and D. J. Pearson (1996). Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ). Gives a querulous or rising siyuah, but otherwise no differences in calls of this subspecies and C. r. reichardi are known.

C. r. reichardi. Song, from tops of trees and during display-flight, a series of mixed musical phrases and buzzing canary-like trills interspersed by harsher twittering, frequently repeats single notes and phrases, with various phrases randomly repeated, and may also include repeated mimicry of other birds’ calls. Calls include high-pitched and nasal zee-zwee or zu-weeo together with a trilling tchirry or chirru and a more sibilant tissy (1 Fry, C. H., and S. Keith, Editors (2004). The Birds of Africa. Volume 7. Sparrows to Buntings. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ).

Season January–March (mainly in DR Congo and Tanzania, perhaps until or also May in Malawi) and again in August–October (1 Fry, C. H., and S. Keith, Editors (2004). The Birds of Africa. Volume 7. Sparrows to Buntings. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 18 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2006). The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close , 16 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium Close ). Said to breed in July in northwest Kenya, and in small colonies of 4–5 pairs in Tanzania (25 Lynes, H. (1934). Contribution to the ornithology of southern Tanganyika Territory. Birds of the Ubene-Uhehe highlands and Iringa highlands. Journal of Ornithology 82(Supplement):1–147, pls. 1–15. Close ). Territories of C. r. striatipectus may be fairly large, as male sings over a wide area; performs circular display-flight during courtship (2 Zimmerman, D. A., D. A. Turner, and D. J. Pearson (1996). Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ). Nest mostly of roots, plant fibres and down, placed low down in tree (26 Mackworth-Praed, C. W., and C. H. B. Grant (1960). Birds of Eastern and North Eastern Africa. Volume 2. African Handbook of Birds Series 1. Longmans, Green and Company, London, UK. Close ) or shrub (2 Zimmerman, D. A., D. A. Turner, and D. J. Pearson (1996). Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, USA. Close ); clutch 2–4 bluish-white eggs with a few purplish-black dots and streaks, size c. 20 × 15 mm (26 Mackworth-Praed, C. W., and C. H. B. Grant (1960). Birds of Eastern and North Eastern Africa. Volume 2. African Handbook of Birds Series 1. Longmans, Green and Company, London, UK. Close ), but these eggs have been speculated to be those of Streaky-headed Seedeater (C. gularis) (1 Fry, C. H., and S. Keith, Editors (2004). The Birds of Africa. Volume 7. Sparrows to Buntings. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ). Longevity at least five years (27 Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (2006). A Contribution to the Ornithology of Malawi. Tauraco Research Report 8. Tauraco Press, Liège, Belgium. Close ). No other information.

The two subspecies are currently as species by BirdLife International (5 del Hoyo, J., and N. J. Collar (2016). Handbook of the Birds of the World and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, Spain. Close ) and consequently their threat status has been analyzed separately against IUCN criteria, as shown below.

C. r. striatipectus. Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Range is highly disjunct. Uncommon to rare in Ethiopia, where known from c. 20 widely scattered records (13 Ash, J. S. and J. Atkins (2009). Birds of Ethiopia and Eritrea: an Atlas of Distribution. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close , 8 Dowsett, R. J., and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2015). New avian observations from south-western Ethiopia, with a review of overlooked literature and altitudinal limits. Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club 135(3):224–239. Close ); generally rather local and uncommon in Kenya (23 Lewis, A. D., and D. E. Pomeroy (1989). A Bird Atlas of Kenya. A. A. Balkema, Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Close , 1 Fry, C. H., and S. Keith, Editors (2004). The Birds of Africa. Volume 7. Sparrows to Buntings. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), and status probably similar in South Sudan (10 Nikolaus, G. (1987). Distribution atlas of Sudan’s birds with notes on habitat and status. Bonner Zoologische Monographien, Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut und Museum Alexander Koenig, Bonn, Germany. Close , 11 Nikolaus, G. (1989). Birds of South Sudan. Scopus Special Supplement 3:1–124. Close ).

C. r. reichardi. Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Locally common to scarce; generally uncommon in DR Congo and in Malawi, where range rapidly contracting and expected soon to be restricted to protected areas, e.g., Nyika National Park, Kasungu National Park, and various forest reserves (18 Dowsett-Lemaire, F., and R. J. Dowsett (2006). The Birds of Malawi: An Atlas and Handbook. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium. Close ), but is locally common and widespread in adjacent Zambia (16 Dowsett, R. J., D. R. Aspinwall, and F. Dowsett-Lemaire (2008). The Birds of Zambia. Tauraco Press & Aves, Liège, Belgium Close ). One record, of a pair, in Burundi, at Kiofi (28 Gaugris, Y., A. Prigogine, and J. P. Van de Weghe (1981). Additions et corrections à l’avifaune de Burundi. Gerfaut 71(1):3–39. Close ). Sometimes listed for Zimbabwe (based on record in March 1995, at Victoria Falls) (29 Chappuis, C. (2000). African Bird Sounds. Volume 2. West and Central Africa. Société Ornithologique de France & British Library National Sound Archive, Paris & London. Close , 1 Fry, C. H., and S. Keith, Editors (2004). The Birds of Africa. Volume 7. Sparrows to Buntings. Christopher Helm, London, UK. Close ), but in error for Streaky-headed Seedeater (C. gularis) (30 Dowsett-Lemaire, F. (2002). Review: Oiseaux d’Afrique (African Bird Sounds), 2. West and Central Africa (Chappuis 2000). Bulletin of the African Bird Club 9(1):74–78. Close , 31 Dowsett, R.J., Brewster, C.A. and Hines, C. (2011). Some bird distributional limits in the Upper Zambezi Valley. Bulletin of the African Bird Club 18(1):17–30. Close ).