Serinus mozambicus

Geographic Range

Yellow-fronted canaries are native to much of sub-Saharan Africa. They are found in most countries below their northern limit of 17˚ north latitude, including Mauritania, Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Central African Republic, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Congo, Zaire, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Angola, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Botswana (Fry and Keith, 2004). They are notably absent from the arid regions of South Africa and the tropical rainforests of the Congo Basin.

Popular cagebirds, yellow-fronted canaries have been released near human settlements around the globe, establishing populations where conditions permit. Introduced birds have colonized parts of Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Sao Tomé, Mafia Island, Mauritius, and Réunion among other countries.

• Biogeographic Regions
• nearctic nearctic
  • introduced introduced
• ethiopian ethiopian
  • introduced introduced
  • native native
• neotropical neotropical
  • introduced introduced
• oceanic islands oceanic islands
  • introduced introduced
• indian ocean
  • introduced introduced
• pacific ocean pacific ocean
  • introduced introduced

Habitat

Serinus mozambicus prefers open woodlands and grasslands below 2300 m, but may also be found in a variety of other habitats including coastal scrub, mangroves, and sand dunes. They are rarely found in tropical rainforests or arid regions. They frequent cultivated lands where they take advantage of abundant sorghum, millet, and other grains.

• Habitat Regions
• tropical tropical
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• savanna or grassland savanna or grassland
• forest forest
• scrub forest scrub forest

• Other Habitat Features
• suburban suburban
• agricultural agricultural

Physical Description

Yellow-fronted canaries are brightly colored and average 12 cm (4.75 inches) in length. Adult males have a golden-yellow face, belly, flank, rump, and tail coverts. They have brown to black malar stripes and eyestripes continuing through to the beak, both surrounded by the characteristic golden-yellow. Their back, neck, and crown are brown to yellowish olive-green (Fry and Keith, 2004). They have sparse dark streaking on their backs, darker brown primaries and secondaries, dark to light brown tail feathers with lighter yellowish or greenish edges, and pale pinkish-brown bills. Adult females are similar in plumage to males. They are distinguished by a ring of brown feathers crossing the bottom of the throat, resembling a pearl necklace. They are generally slightly more dull brown and paler yellow, with lighter eye and malar stripes. Juveniles are similar to females, with heavy streaking. Juvenile males molt out of their necklace markings at around 6 months of age.

Eleven subspecies of Serinus mozambicus have been identified, each with subtle variations in plumage, size, wing length, and other body measurements. South African birds exhibit regional color variation, with a gradient from duller individuals in the west to the brightest yellow birds in the east.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• homoiothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• sexes colored or patterned differently
• male more colorful

Reproduction

Yellow-fronted canaries are socially monogamous. A pair typically defends its territory from other members of the species, although on occasion several pairs may nest in the same tree. At the onset of the breeding season, members of mated pairs frequently chase one another in a slow, stilted, level flight from branch to branch. Males feed their mates throughout the breeding season, and also sing loud, trilling songs while perched upright and swaying very slightly.

Both birds collect plant fibers (mostly fine grasses) and other suitable material with which the female constructs a small cup-shaped nest. Nests are built 1 to 6 meters above ground in forked branches, twigs, or other supportive structures, usually shielded from view by dense foliage.

• Mating System
• monogamous monogamous

Serinus mozambicus breeds through the rainy season when there are sufficient food supplies to rear young. Because of the tremendous range of the species, the timing of this period varies widely depending on weather patterns. Between two and five (usually 3) eggs are laid, one per day until the clutch is complete. Incubation by the female alone lasts 13 days and (at least for captive birds) typically commences after the last or second-to-last egg is laid. During this period the male feeds his mate regularly and sings from a nearby perch.

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• oviparous oviparous

Initially after hatching the young require nearly constant brooding by the mother. As the female is able to leave the nest for longer periods, the male joins in feeding the young. The young fledge at around 18 days. The family travels and feeds as a unit until or beyond the time when the young are functionally independent, usually at the age of 6 weeks.

• Parental Investment
• altricial altricial
• pre-fertilization
  • provisioning
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
    • male
    • female
  • protecting
    • male
    • female
• pre-independence
  • provisioning
    • male
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

Adult yellow-fronted canaries (older than 6 months) experience annual mortality rates of about 65%. Many birds live 2 to 3 years, although one wild individual lived at least 8.5 years. Captive birds frequently live beyond 10 years.

Behavior

Yellow-fronted canaries forage alone or in small groups. However, flocks of up to 100 individuals have been reported and they may join other finches to form mixed-species flocks. Small groups roost together in trees and bushes. Posturing and vocal communication is common within the group. Though generally considered a resident species, Serinus mozambicus may migrate short distances to stay close to the best food sources and to avoid bad weather conditions. These seasonal wanderings are particularly pronounced in the northern limits of their range.

• Key Behaviors
• arboreal arboreal
• flies
• diurnal diurnal
• motile motile
• sedentary sedentary
• territorial territorial
• social social

Home Range

Nesting pairs of yellow-fronted canaries are moderately territorial, but two or even three nests have been sited in the same tree on several occasions. Home range size varies.

Communication and Perception

Posturing between individuals in a group is common. Singing competitions are frequent, and males respond strongly to potential competitors with a loud, trilling song that is repeated throughout the day.

• Communication Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Yellow-fronted canaries feed primarily on seeds and insects. Sorghum and millet seeds are husked and eaten readily, often taken from cultivated fields. To reach seeds still attached to tip of plants, birds may land mid-stalk, pin the plant to the ground, and inch their way up until they reach the seeds. Termites, aphids, grasshoppers, and other insects are especially important during the breeding season when chicks demand a relatively high-protein diet. Other food items include leaves, fruit, petals, and nectar.

• Primary Diet
• omnivore omnivore

• Animal Foods
• insects
• terrestrial worms

• Plant Foods
• leaves
• seeds, grains, and nuts
• fruit
• nectar
• flowers

Predation

Adult yellow-fronted canaries are agile and can outmaneuver most predators. Nestlings and recently fledged birds sustain the highest rates of mortality. Likely predators of adults are agile raptors, such as falcons . Nestlings and hatchlings may be taken by nest predators such as snakes and other arboreal carnivores.

Ecosystem Roles

Yellow-fronted canaries are important as seed predators and may act as prey for small raptors, snakes, and small, carnivorous mammals.

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Yellow-fronted canaries are a popular cagebird throughout the world. Mozambique exports 10,000 birds annually. The population within this country has been estimated at over 2 million birds (Parker 1999 in Fry and Keith 2004). Yellow-fronted canaries may assist in controlling insect numbers around cultivated fields.

• Positive Impacts
• pet trade pet trade
• controls pest population

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

Serinus mozambicus frequently feeds on cultivated grains. Although abundant and widespread, yellow-fronted canaries generally forage in small groups and thus never threaten to wipe out a crop, but consistent feeding in farmlands may contribute to lower crop harvests.

• Negative Impacts
• crop pest

Conservation Status

Yellow-fronted canaries are common through much of sub-Saharan Africa, They are categorized as a species of least concern on the IUCN Red List and a CITES Appendix III species. This classification is designed to "prevent or restrict exploitation" which, in this case, may result from excessive capture for the pet trade.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web.

Timothy Lambert (author), Stanford University, Terry Root (editor, instructor), Stanford University.

References

Arnaiz-Villena, A., M. Álvarez-Tejado, V. Ruíz-del-Valle, C. García-de-la-Torre, P. Varela, M. Recio, S. Ferre, J. Martinez-Laso. 1999. Rapid Radiation of Canaries (Genus Serinus). Molecular Biology and Evolution , 16(1): 2-11. Accessed May 10, 2007 at http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/16/1/2.pdf .

Fry, C., S. Keith. 2004. The Birds of Africa: Volume VII . Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Moulton, M. 1993. The All-or-none Pattern in Introduced Hawaiian Passeriforms: the Role of Competition Sustained. The American Naturalist , 141: 105-119. Accessed May 10, 2007 at http://www.jstor.org/view/00030147/di006367/00p0057g/0 .

Sibley, D. 2000. The Sibley Guide to Birds . New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc..

Sinclair, I., P. Hockey. 1996. Birds of Southern Africa . Cape Town: Struik Publishers.

Finchinfo.com. 2007. "The Green Singing Finch" (On-line). Finch Info. Accessed May 10, 2007 at http://www.finchinfo.com/birds/finches/species/green_singing_finch.php .