Damara Canary

Damara Canary
Damara Canary
Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Genus: Serinus
Species: S. leucolaema
Binomial name
Serinus leucolaema
(Sharpe, 1903)

The Damara Canary, Serinus leucolaema, is a small passerine bird in the finch family.

Contents

Description

The Damara Canary is 12-15 cm in length. The adult male has rich brown upperparts and tail, a white hind collar and mainly white underparts. The head pattern is striking; whereas male Black-headed Canary has a solidly black head and central breast, Damara has a white supercilium, and white throat and fore neck with a black moustachial stripe. The black of the central breast is therefore separate from the black of the head.

The adult female is similar, but has a dull grey head, and is dark-streaked on the head and upperparts. It has a rich brown wing bar. The female is similar to female Black-headed Canary, but shows faint traces of the male head pattern. The juvenile resembles the female, but is paler, has streaking on the breast, and a weaker wing bar.

Distribution and habitat

It is a resident breeder in South Africa, Namibia and southern Botswana. It is sometimes placed in genus Alario as Alario leucolaema, and some authorities treat it as a subspecies of Black-headed Canary, Serinus alario. Its habitat is dry open scrub and grassland, edges of cultivation, and suburban gardens.

Behaviour

The Damara Canary is a common and gregarious seed-eater, forming flocks of up to 200 birds. Its call is a low tseett, and the male’s song is jumble of unmusical notes.

References

  • Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey and Warwick Tarboton, SASOL Birds of Southern Africa (Struik 2002) ISBN 1-86872-721-1
  • Clement, Harris and Davis, Finches and Sparrows ISBN 0-7136-8017-2

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