Black-headed Canary

Overview

The black-headed canary (Serinus alario) is a species of finch found in Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa, though it is sometimes placed in the genus Alario as Alario alario.

Identification

• Size of 12–15 cm with rich brown upper parts and tail
• Adult male has a solidly black head and central breast with a white hind collar and mainly white underparts
• Adult female has a dull grey head with dark streaking on the head and upper parts, plus a rich brown wing bar
• Call is a low tseett, and the male's song is a jumble of unmusical notes

Habitat

This species inhabits dry open scrub and grassland, the edges of cultivation, and suburban gardens across Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa.

Diet

It is a gregarious seed-eater that forms flocks of up to 200 birds.

Did you know?

The Damara canary (Serinus leucolaema), often considered a subspecies of the black-headed canary, has a strikingly different head pattern with a white supercilium and a white throat and foreneck featuring a black moustachial stripe.