Kipengere Seedeater
Crithagra melanochroa
A large seedeater with a big, bulging bill. Dark brown above and white below with heavily streaked underparts. Also note the white marks around the eye. Rare and local in montane habitats including forest, forest edge, and lush scrub. Somewhat similar to Yellow-browed Seedeater, but larger and heavier-billed, without any yellow in the plumage. The song is a fast-paced mix of whistled and rattling notes.
Identification
The Kipengere seedeater (Crithagra melanochroa), also known as the Tanzania seedeater, is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found only in Tanzania specifically in Mbeya Region and Njombe Region. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and subtropical or tropical high-elevation shrubland. It is threatened by habitat loss. The Kipengere 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 Kipengere seedeater were moved to the resurrected genus Crithagra.
Taxonomy
Genus: Crithagra; Family: Fringillidae; Order: Passeriformes.
- Scientific name
- Crithagra melanochroa
- Authority
- (Reichenow, 1900)
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Crithagra
Range and habitat
The Kipengere seedeater is found in montane forest and shrubland in the Udzungwa Mountains, Kipengere Range, and Mount Rungwe.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: declining.
- Population trend
- declining
Photos
Distribution
Other Birds
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