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Forest Canary | Crithagra scotops

The Forest Canary is a Southern African bird that belongs to the Fringillidae bird family group which includes birds such as Chaffinches, Canaries, Buntings.

The description for the Forest Canary (Latin name Crithagra scotops) can be found in the 7th Edition of the Roberts Birds of Southern Africa. The Crithagra scotops can be quickly identified by its unique Roberts identification number of 873 and the detailed description of this bird is on page 1123. You will find a picture of the Forest Canary on page 1136.

NOTE: The reference for the information following is "Roberts Birds of Southern Africa", 7th Edition*. This edition contained a number of taxonomic changes as well as changes to English names used traditionally and in earlier editions of most bird books in South Africa. The following paragraph notes such changes if any.

The Latin name for this bird is Serinus scotops in the Roberts 6th Edition.

The Forest Canary is known in Afrikaans as Gestreepte Kanarie.

The Forest Canary is Endemic to the Southern African Region which means that this bird is only found in this region and nowhere else in the world.

The Forest Canary has a height of 13 cms and weighs around 15 gms. The head is coloured olive, green while the bill is coloured black. The Crithagra scotops has a olive coloured throat, pink legs and a olive, green coloured back. The eyes are brown.

The male Crithagra scotops has physical features that are slightly different from the female bird.

Take note of the main distinguishing features such as colour, size and leg length relative to the body size. Colours of body parts can be helpful. Be aware what may appear brown to one person is described in Roberts using some other word ... for example brown, black. See colours used in Roberts.

Head is olive, green

Eyes are brown

Bill is black

Legs are pink

Throat is olive

Back is olive, green

Feeding Habits ...

This bird forages for food on the ground

The Forest Canary is usually seen hunting for food within the tree foliage

This bird eats insects such as butterflies, bees, wasps, locusts and ants. These invertebrates are usually hawked aerially, killed and then eaten .

Breeding, Habitat and Nesting Habits ...

The Forest Canary is a monogamous bird which means that the bird finds and breeds with one partner for the rest of its life. The bird lays between 2 to 4 eggs and they are coloured white.

The nest is built high up in the tree canopy and is protected from predators by branches and the dense green foligae.

The bird is found in the African bushveld

This bird is very common in most of the Southern African Forests

Seen in Flocks, Singles or Pairs Normally ...

It is also seen in flocks

The reference for the information following is "Roberts Birds of Southern Africa", 7th Edition * edited by PAR Hockey, WRJ Dean and PG Ryan, published by "The Trustees of the John Voelcker Bird Book Fund."