Brimstone Canary

Alternative name: Bully Canary

Male
Photo by jdbirdman
Cape vidal, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Crithagra sulphurata

Serinus sulphuratus

Identification

Length 13-15 cm
A large canary with a big bill.
The male is bright yellow beneath with an olive-green malar stripe and bright yellow but short supercilliary stripe.

Similar species

Yellow Canary has a supercilium that is much longer and does not narrow so quickly behind the eye.

Distribution

Africa: Uganda and Kenya, south to eastern and southern South Africa.

Taxonomy

Subspecies^[1]

There are 3 subspecies:

• C. s. sharpii:

• Kenya, Uganda, eastern Zaire to Angola, Zambia and Mozambique

• C. s. wilsoni:

• Southern Mozambique and South Africa (Transvaal to eastern Cape Province)

• C. s. sulphurata:

• South-western and southern Cape Province

Two additional subspecies frommi and shelleyi are not generally recognised, and languens is usually considered invalid^[2].

Habitat

Woodland, thicket, coastal scrub and gardens.

Behaviour

Occurs mostly either singly or in pairs.

References

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2015. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2015, with updates to August 2015. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Avibase
3. Sinclair I & Ryan P. 2003. Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0620207299

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Brimstone Canary. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 30 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Brimstone_Canary

External Links

Search for photos of Brimstone Canary in the gallery