Streaky-headed Seedeater
Crithagra gularis
Dull brownish seedeater with a pale eyebrow and underparts. Found in woodland, scrub, and fynbos. Often in small flocks. Call is a whistled “tsee-weet”. Song is a cheerful and energetic mix of repeated notes. Similar to White-throated Canary but shows a long white eyebrow and a brown rather than yellowish rump. Also similar to Black-eared Seedeater but has a browner back, more subdued black ear markings, and less streaking on the breast.
Identification
The streaky-headed seedeater is 13–14 cm in length. The adult has brown upperparts with some faint streaking and a plain brown rump. The head has a finely white-streaked crown, dark face, and white supercilium and chin. The underparts are warm buff. The sexes are similar, but some females show a little breast streaking. The juvenile has less head streaking, a dull supercilium, more heavily streaked upperparts, and heavy streaking on the pale grey underparts.
Taxonomy
The streaky-headed seedeater was formerly placed in the genus Serinus but phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences found that the genus was polyphyletic. The genus was therefore split and a number of species including the streaky-headed seedeater were moved to the resurrected genus Crithagra.<p>There are five recognized subspecies, differing mainly in the colour shade of the upperparts and underparts. C. g. humilis of the southwestern Cape has dusky plumage and indistinctly streaked upperparts.<p>Some authorities consider the West African seedeater (Crithagra canicapilla) as a subspecies of the streaky-headed seedeater. C. (g.) elgonensis, an isolated taxon occurring sparsely in the dry, eastern Ugandan woodlands and at Mt Elgon in Kenya, may be conspecific with either the West African seedeater or stripe-breasted seedeater.
- Scientific name
- Crithagra gularis
- Authority
- (Smith, A, 1836)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Crithagra
Range and habitat
Its habitat is open woodland and scrub, including savanna, orchards, and gardens. It builds a compact cup nest in a scrub.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
The streaky-headed seedeater is usually seen in pairs, but can be gregarious, forming large flocks, alone or with other canary species. It feeds on soft fruit, weed seeds and buds, and sometimes takes insects. Large flocks can damage sunflower, millet and other cereal crops.<p>This is an unobtrusive finch, often perching inside bushes. Its call is a soft tseee, and the song is a wit-chee-chee-chee-cha cha cha cha chip, interspersed with mimicry of other species. There is also a tweu tweu tirrirrit-tink given in display flight.
Conservation
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
Other Birds
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Chunky buzzard with a reddish tail. The color of the underparts varies: they are normally white, but can be completely black, or mostly chestnut in Somalia. Immature is brown on the back and pale below. Found in hilly and mountainous terrain, in a wide variety of habits including semi-desert, savanna, woodland, grassland, heath, and tree plantations. Call is a short, emphatic yelp. Distinctive across most of its range, but can be confused with Jackal Buzzard in the small area of overlap. Separated there by the pale underwing.
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