NATURAL HISTORY · CATALOGUE RECORD
Red-fronted Serin
Serinus pusillus (Pallas, 1811)
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 red-fronted serin or fire-fronted serin (Serinus pusillus) is a small passerine bird in the finch family Fringillidae. It prefers high mountain regions and is 11–12 cm (4.3–4.7 in) long.
This bird breeds in the Caucasus and the higher mountains of Turkey and Iran, with vagrants occasionally reaching the Greek Eastern Aegean Islands in winter. This bird is also found in Ladakh and other parts of the Indian Himalayas. Outside the breeding season, it occurs in small flocks, typically seen searching through thistle patches. It is a popular cagebird, and escapees from captivity are occasionally found throughout Europe.
The bird is variable in plumage, with adults resembling very dark redpolls. The foreparts are sooty and the forehead is red; juveniles have buff-brown heads. The call is a rapid, shrill "titihihihihihi", resembling that of a Linnet.
The bird will breed in captivity and thrives on a diet of canary grass seed, millet, and other small seeds. They bathe daily if water is accessible.
Wikipedia contributors, Red-fronted serin; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T06:36:01.574844+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Serinus pusillus (Pallas, 1811)
- Name authority
- (Pallas, 1811)
- Common name
- Red-fronted Serin
- 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 pusillus (Pallas, 1811)
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 |
| Cape CanarySerinus canicollis (Swainson, 1838) | 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 |
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=562961 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:4WV7K. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.