-
Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.
Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
Finch in Ethiopia (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter monkir
- Start date
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
The only thing I can see that's even close, is Ethiopian Siskin, a juvenile?
It looks like a twite
Deb Burhinus
Used to be well known! 😎
I thought it looked like a 1cy E.Serin but both well out of range for Ethiopia surely. The bill looks the wrong shape for Siskin (which has a slightly longer more pointed bill than I can see here but I have no experience with Ethiopian Siskin compare bill shape here https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/204924571)
Last edited:
Not found in that part of the world according to Clements.
This has to be a female (or immature) Black-headed Siskin, as Andy said. (Perhaps the yellow of the lower mandible indicates a juvenile rather than female; I don't know.)
It's true that the bill looks small in the photo, but I think this must be the angle of the shot. Everything else fits perfectly.
We saw the male in the Bale Mountains, and the female in Bahir Dar.
It's true that the bill looks small in the photo, but I think this must be the angle of the shot. Everything else fits perfectly.
We saw the male in the Bale Mountains, and the female in Bahir Dar.
Attachments
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
That was my instant reaction but I know they're not there and ther are very few things it could actually be.
It looks to me like an immature, but is as Andy says there is very little else it can be in this area. The Siskin (which is a serinus not spinus - so not a 'real' siskin) is really common in Bale and the other seedeaters that it could be don't look like this and are pretty scarce really.
The only thing that surprises me with the original post is the monochrome nature of the plumage. Although the juveniles are dull, I don't think I have seen one with little to no yellow in its plumage.
The bill shape looks OK, noting that the bird is looking away IMO.
Valéry Schollaert
Respect animals, don't eat or wear their body or s
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
One for the Opus gallery then?
Indeed: the Opus entry and associated photos only shows males as far as I can see.
Maybe I should also upload my photo in #7?
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
Agree.
Done by me (with a better picture of the same bird).
For Monkir: if you upload your photo to the Gallery and label it clearly as Ethiopian (Black-headed) Siskin (you don't need to fill in all the other details, but do as much as you can), it will automatically appear with other photos of the same bird when someone clicks through on photos from the Opus Bird Forum encyclopedia. Specify in the title (e.g. 'Ethiopian (Black-headed) Siskin (juvenile)') and then in the description section say that the yellow lower mandible suggests that this is a juvenile bird.
Last edited:
Valéry Schollaert
Respect animals, don't eat or wear their body or s
This is not my photo...
I have posted it in the gallery now
Andy Adcock
Worst person on Birdforum
I meant the OP.
Deb Burhinus
Used to be well known! 😎
I’ve since googled these and indeed they seem to be the ubiquitous seedeater in this part if Ethiopia - so I wondered, given the difference in bill shape between European Siskin and these, in your experience of seeing these, did they have a similar ‘siskin’ gizz in their behaviour/flight/calls etc do you think - that would lead someone to say, “yes that’s a type of Siskin”, or would it be hard to make the Siskin connection if you didn't know what they were or what was a ‘available’ for the region? To me they look closer to a Serin species!
