NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Cape Canary
Serinus canicollis (Swainson, 1838)
Source-backed taxonomic record
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
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. Its habitat is fynbos, grassland and gardens, preferably in highland areas. It builds a compact cup nest in a scrub. It inhabits a variety of terrestrial habitats, from forest edges to montane areas, foraging mainly on seeds in pairs or flocks. Breeding occurs from August to February. Nest are built by females and both parents feed chicks, which typically fledge in 2-3 weeks. The Cape canary is 11–13 cm in length. The adult male has a green back with black edging to the wing feathers wings and tail. The underparts, rump and tail sides are yellow, and the lower belly is white. The rear head and neck are grey, and the face is cinnamon. The female is similar, but with less grey on the head.
Wikipedia contributors, Cape canary; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T02:17:43.284237+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Serinus canicollis (Swainson, 1838)
- Name authority
- (Swainson, 1838)
- Common name
- Cape Canary
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Fringillidae
- Genus
- Serinus
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAves
- orderPasseriformes
- familyFringillidae Leach, 1820
- genusSerinus Koch, 1816
- speciesSerinus canicollis (Swainson, 1838)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Serinus. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Black-headed CanarySerinus alario (Linnaeus, 1758) | FringillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Atlantic CanarySerinus canaria (Linnaeus, 1758) | FringillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Yellow-crowned CanarySerinus flavivertex (Blanford, 1869) | FringillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Ethiopian SiskinSerinus nigriceps Rüppell, 1840 | FringillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| European SerinSerinus serinus (Linnaeus, 1766) | FringillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Syrian SerinSerinus syriacus Bonaparte, 1850 | FringillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Red-fronted SerinSerinus pusillus (Pallas, 1811) | FringillidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Documented distribution
Source distribution statements, not a complete range map. A listed locality is not necessarily a place of origin.
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=562940 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4WV6N. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.