Lemon-breasted seedeater
The lemon-breasted canary (Crithagra citrinipectus ), also known as the lemon-breasted seedeater, is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are dry savannah, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and rural gardens.
Although their common name would indicate that each lemon-breasted canary indeed has a yellow throat/chest, this is not the case between males and females, making them easy to differentiate. Only the males have the signature yellow feathers in the breast region. The females have mostly cream and brown feathers, less distinct head markings. However, both sexes have noticeably yellow rumps around the tail feathers and bicolored beaks, the upper part being darker brown/black than the lower part. In addition, males also have white and yellow cheek patches and two yellow and white dots above their beaks. Nestlings of this species show yellow beak edges. There are no known subspecies, however there are small differences between canaries of different regions.
This species of finch is found locally in Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zululand, South Africa, and Zambia. Despite their restricted geographical range and declining overall population, it is still considered a species of “least concern” on the current IUCN Red List category. The total population size is unknown, but is well above the “vulnerable” range of <10,000 mature individuals. This species of bird resides and breeds over an area of 49,800 km2.
The lemon-breasted canary resides in southeastern Africa, far south of the equator, and sometimes in the same areas in which Serinus mozambicus — commonly known as the greensinger — is also found. They live in mostly dry areas such as grasslands with sporadic low vegetation and at the boundaries of woody areas. They build their nests mostly (and preferably) in specific species of palms, using the brown fibers of the palms to help construct the outside of the nests, though the inside is lined with softer materials.
During breeding season, males are busy singers. Their song is brief, rapid, and relatively tuneless and occurs in a series of short rising and falling twittering. Their breeding season occurs between December and May, but main activity is in January and February. These birds are monogamous and are fairly solitary and territorial. The courtship process in general is less complex than in most other finches, mostly involving singing and the raised posture of the males with slightly extended wings to attract females. Maturity of the males is measured during this time by their singing and courting. In captivity chicks are fed by females with egg food, germinated seeds, and some animal food during their first week of life. Overall the lemon-breasted canary is sedentary and partially nomadic, and during non-breeding season the flocks move about at random within their home range.
