Bird Album
Black-headed Canary
Serinus alario (Linnaeus, 1758)
12–15 cmLength12 gWeight
The black-headed canary (Serinus alario) is a species of finch found in Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa.
Busiest months: November · Most records: South Africa, Lesotho, Singapore
Where and when it's recorded
Black-headed Canary has been recorded at 12 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Karoo NPSouth Africa85 records
- West Coast NPSouth Africa35 records
- Black Mountains – WestLesotho23 records
More places
- West Coast NP – Abrahamskraal hideSouth Africa17 records
- Sani Pass (LS) to Black MountainsLesotho12 records
- Black Mountains – EastLesotho4 records
- Sani PassLesotho4 records
- West Coast NP – Geelbek hides vicinitySouth Africa4 records
- Augrabies Falls NPSouth Africa3 records
- Sengkang Riverside Park and Sengkang Floating WetlandSingapore2 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The black-headed canary (Serinus alario) is a species of finch found in Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Black-headed Canary?
The Black-headed Canary is about 12–15 cm long and weighs around 12 g.
Where does the Black-headed Canary live?
Its breeding range: Africa: South Africa. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Lesotho and Singapore.
When is the best time to see the Black-headed Canary?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Black-headed Canary endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Black-headed Canary as Least Concern.
What does the Black-headed Canary eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the Black-headed Canary in?
It belongs to the family Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 12–15 cm
- Weight
- 12 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 68 mm
- Tail
- 45 mm
- Bill
- 10 mm
- Tarsus
- 15 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: South Africa
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Finches, Euphonias Fringillidae
- Genus
- Serinus
Other birds in the genus Serinus
Red-fronted SerinSerinus pusillus
European SerinSerinus serinus
Syrian SerinSerinus syriacus
Atlantic CanarySerinus canaria
Cape CanarySerinus canicollis
Yellow-crowned CanarySerinus flavivertex
Ethiopian SiskinSerinus nigriceps
Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
African ChaffinchFringilla spodiogenys
Azores ChaffinchFringilla moreletti
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Greg de Klerk. ↗
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