Forest canary facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Forest canary
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Fringillidae
Subfamily:	Carduelinae
Genus:	Crithagra
Species:	C. scotops
Binomial name
Crithagra scotops Sundevall, 1850
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Synonyms
Serinus scotops

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The forest canary (Crithagra scotops) is a small, colorful bird found in South Africa and Eswatini. It belongs to the finch family, called Fringillidae. These birds love living in warm, wet forests, especially in lowlands or on mountains.

Scientists used to place the forest canary in a different bird group called Serinus. But after looking closely at their DNA, they found that this group was not as closely related as once thought. So, the forest canary and some other birds were moved to a new group called Crithagra.

What Forest Canaries Eat

Forest canaries mainly eat seeds, fruits, and figs. They enjoy seeds from plants like Panicum (Guinea grasses) and Alyssum. They also like the flowers of Penaea cneorum.

Some leaves they eat include Senecio (like creeping groundsel) and Ptaeroxylon obliquum (Sneezewood). Besides plants, these birds also eat insects. They usually eat more insects during the breeding season. This gives them extra protein for their growing chicks.

When looking for food, forest canaries often search in small groups or pairs. They tend to look for food close to the ground or near bushes and flowers. They usually stay hidden while they eat.

How Forest Canaries Raise Their Young

The breeding season for forest canaries is usually from October to March. However, this can change depending on where they live and the weather. They prefer warmer climates, which makes sense since they live in the southernmost part of Africa.

During this time, a pair might have up to two groups of babies, called broods. Forest canaries are known to be monogamous. This means they stay with one mate for a long time.

Both the male and female work together to build the nest. The female builds the nest itself. The male helps by collecting materials like twigs and plant fibers. The female then lays 2 to 5 eggs. The eggs hatch in about 14 days. Both parents feed the chicks until they are ready to fly, which takes another 14 to 19 days.

What Forest Canaries Look Like

The forest canary is a small bird. It has a short, thick beak. These birds are about 11–13 cm long and weigh 10-14 grams.

You can tell the male and female apart by their colors. The male has yellow feathers on its back and wings, with a slight green tint. The female is more greenish-gray, but has yellow on its belly. Both males and females have a black mask around their eyes. They also have several black streaks on their upper bodies. Young forest canaries look similar to the female, but they have a duller olive color.

Where Forest Canaries Live

Forest canaries live in Sub-Saharan Africa. You can find them in countries like Cameroon, Congo, and Kenya. They like dry, warm places.

These birds live in the edges and clearings of thick forests. They can be found in highland or submontane evergreen forests. They also live in dry Euphorbia-dominated woodlands and small forest patches in highveld grasslands. You might even spot them near farms, tree plantations, scrub, orchards, and gardens. They can live from sea level up to 1800 meters high. Their range stretches from the Limpopo Province south to KwaZulu-Natal and along the southern coast to the Eastern and Western Cape.

Dangers to Forest Canaries

One known predator of the forest canary is the Falco peregrinus (Peregrine falcon). However, not many other animals are known to hunt them.

There are also environmental dangers that can affect them. These include deforestation (when forests are cut down), natural disasters, and wildfires. Luckily, the forest canary is not an endangered species. This means there are still plenty of them in the wild.