Bird Album
Cape Canary
Serinus canicollis (Swainson, 1838)
11–13 cmLength15 gWeight
The Cape canary (Serinus canicollis) is a small passerine bird in the finch family.
Busiest months: October–November · Most records: South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: October–November · Most records: South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe
Cape Canary has been recorded at 61 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 4 countries and regions.
Records by month Southern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Kirstenbosch Botanical GardenSouth Africa1,931 records
- Strandfontein WTPSouth Africa807 records
- Harold Porter Botanical GardensSouth Africa679 records
More places
- Sani Pass (ZA) – low elevationSouth Africa249 records
- Intaka IslandSouth Africa230 records
- Wakkerstroom areaSouth Africa217 records
- Wakkerstroom Wetland NR – bridge/causewaySouth Africa175 records
- PaardevleiSouth Africa174 records
- Rooi-ElsSouth Africa156 records
- Macassar Sewage WorksSouth Africa149 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 Cape canary (Serinus canicollis) is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is a resident breeder in southern Africa and has been introduced to Mauritius and Réunion. It is a residential bird but shows seasonal and altitudinal movements, sometimes forming large flocks outside the breeding season.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Cape Canary?
The Cape Canary is about 11–13 cm long and weighs around 15 g.
Where does the Cape Canary live?
Its breeding range: Africa: southern. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Lesotho and Zimbabwe.
When is the best time to see the Cape Canary?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October and November (Southern Hemisphere).
Is the Cape Canary endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Cape Canary as Least Concern.
What does the Cape Canary eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the Cape Canary in?
It belongs to the family Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 11–13 cm
- Weight
- 15 g
- Habitat
- Shrubland
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Varied
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 76 mm
- Tail
- 54 mm
- Bill
- 11 mm
- Tarsus
- 15 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Africa: southern
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
Yellow-crowned CanarySerinus flavivertex
Ethiopian SiskinSerinus nigriceps
Black-headed CanarySerinus alario
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 Felix Riegel. ↗
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