Yellow-fronted Canary (Crithagra mozambica)
Illustration redrawn by AI from a real photograph

Yellow-fronted Canary

Crithagra mozambica (Müller, PLS, 1776)

11–13 cmLength12 gWeight

This small finch has a yellow face and belly, a gray crown and black moustachial stripes, and likes to feed on seeds in flocks.

Busiest months: October–November · Most records: South Africa, Uganda, Kenya

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

  1. Head yellow, with gray crown and nape
  2. Black moustachial stripes
  3. Male has yellow underparts and rump
  4. Back green, wings and tail rufous

Male, female and young

Female has a less distinct head pattern and a duller belly; juvenile is grayer than the female, especially on the head.

Voice

A humming phrase sounding like “zee-zeree-chereeo”.

Where and when it's recorded

Yellow-fronted Canary has been recorded at 499 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 43 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

  1. Kruger NP – Skukuza CampSouth Africa811 records
  2. Mkhuze GRSouth Africa606 records
  3. Maasai Mara NR – Mara TriangleKenya467 records
More places
  1. Lake Mburo NPUganda336 records
  2. Maasai Mara NRKenya318 records
  3. Nyandungu Urban Wetland Eco-tourism ParkRwanda314 records
  4. Mai Po Nature ReserveHong Kong (China)313 records
  5. Macaneta – Wetland, dune forests and coastMozambique310 records
  6. Lai Chi KokHong Kong (China)299 records
  7. Phinda GR – AirfieldSouth Africa294 records

Countries and regions with the most records

South AfricaUgandaKenyaMozambiqueGhanaChinaTanzaniaRwanda

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 yellow-fronted canary (Crithagra mozambica) is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is sometimes known in aviculture as the green singing finch or the green singer.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the Yellow-fronted Canary?

The Yellow-fronted Canary is about 11–13 cm long and weighs around 12 g.

Where does the Yellow-fronted Canary live?

Its breeding range: Africa: western, central, eastern, southern. It is most often recorded in South Africa, Uganda and Kenya.

When is the best time to see the Yellow-fronted Canary?

At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in October and November (Southern Hemisphere).

Is the Yellow-fronted Canary endangered?

The IUCN Red List classifies the Yellow-fronted Canary as Least Concern.

What does the Yellow-fronted Canary eat?

Main food: Omnivore.

What family is the Yellow-fronted Canary in?

It belongs to the family Finches, Euphonias (Fringillidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).

At a glance

Length
11–13 cm
Weight
12 g
Habitat
Shrubland
Diet
Omnivore
Lifestyle
Varied
Migration
Resident (barely migrates)
Conservation
Least Concern
More measurements
Wing
68 mm
Tail
43 mm
Bill
10 mm
Tarsus
14 mm

Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.

Range

Africa: western, central, eastern, southern

Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2

Classification

Order
Passerines Passeriformes
Family
Finches, Euphonias Fringillidae
Genus
Crithagra

Other birds in the genus Crithagra

Principe SeedeaterPrincipe SeedeaterCrithagra rufobrunneaSao Tome GrosbeakSao Tome GrosbeakCrithagra concolorAfrican CitrilAfrican CitrilCrithagra citrinelloidesWestern CitrilWestern CitrilCrithagra frontalisSouthern CitrilSouthern CitrilCrithagra hypostictaBlack-faced CanaryBlack-faced CanaryCrithagra capistrataPapyrus CanaryPapyrus CanaryCrithagra koliensisForest CanaryForest CanaryCrithagra scotopsWhite-rumped SeedeaterWhite-rumped SeedeaterCrithagra leucopygiaBlack-throated CanaryBlack-throated CanaryCrithagra atrogularisYellow-rumped SeedeaterYellow-rumped SeedeaterCrithagra xanthopygiaReichenow's SeedeaterReichenow's SeedeaterCrithagra reichenowi
Yellow-fronted Canary

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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Maryse. ↗

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