- Syrian Serin
Taxobox
name = Syrian Serin
status = VU | status_system = IUCN3.1
regnum =Animal ia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia =Fringillidae
genus = "Serinus "
species = "S. syriacus"
binomial = "Serinus syriacus"
binomial_authority =Bonaparte ,1851 The Syrian Serin is a brightly coloured smallpasserine bird in the finch familyFringillidae .Description
The Syrian Serin is prettily coloured with bright yellow and pale grey feathers. The eyes are large and are surrounded by a bright yellow ring. The beak is grey and the legs are pale pinkish-grey. It has a long trilling call, and may also chirp and twitter.
Distribution and habitat
The Syrian serin breeds in
Syria ,Lebanon ,Israel andJordan at altitudes of between 900 – 1,900 metres. The population in Jordan makes local movements in winter, but the birds of Lebanon, Israel and Syria migrate to wintering grounds inEgypt ,Turkey andIraq . They inhabit rocky areas with oak and conifer shrubs or trees and frequent grasslands and fields and eat mainly the seeds of annuals and grasses. In SW Jordan, its main diet during winter consists of the seeds of "Artemisia".Breeding
Males court females with a song display, and each pair builds a nest in a tree once the snow has begun to melt in April or May. Four pale blue, glossy eggs are laid in April and May and the female incubates these for 12 – 14 days. The young fledge after just 14 – 16 days and the parents then move up to around 1,750 metres in July and August to produce a second clutch. When conditions allow, the pair can produce three broods. In southwest Jordan, most pairs apparently breed only once per year as suitable breeding habitat does not exist at higher elevations.
References
*Includes justification for why this species is vulnerable
* Khoury, F. (1998): Habitat selection by Syrian Serin "Serinus syriacus" in SW Jordan. Sandgrouse 20(2): 87-93.
* Khoury, F. (2000). The impact of drought conditions on the winter distribution and population of Syrian Serin "Serinus syriacus" in south-west Jordan. Sandgrouse 22 (1): 64-66.
* Khoury, F. (2001). The breeding ecology of Syrian Serin "Serinus syriacus" in Jordan. Sandgrouse 23(1): 68-69.
* Khoury, F. (2003). Feeding ecology of Syrian Serin "Serinus syriacus" in SW Jordan. Ecology of Birds (Oekologie der Voegel) 25: 5-35.
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