Alternative names: White-winged Seedeater, Protea Seedeater
- Crithagra leucoptera
Serinus leucopterus
Identification
Length 15 cm, mass 18-25 g.
Adult: A greyish-brown canary with a blackish face that contrasts with the whitish to pinkish bill and white throat. The wing coverts, flight feathers and tail feathers are sooty brown; pale edges to the wing coverts form two wing-bars visible at close range.
Distribution
South-western South Africa; a country endemic.
Taxonomy
Monotypic.
Habitat
Shrublands: Mountain fynbos, forest edges, dense riverine fynbos.
Behaviour
Not shy, but easily overlooked as it often sits quietly in the canopy. In the breeding season may be solitary, in pairs or family groups; small groups or flocks of up to 40 birds form when not breeding.
Forages in the canopy of shrubs and small trees and on the ground. Feeds mainly on the large seeds of Protea species, but also eats other seeds, flowers, buds, fruit and nectar.
Breeding
Monogamous. The nest is a cup of stems and leaves, lined with Protea down, and placed 2-4 m above the ground, usually in the canopy of a Protea bush. Two to four eggs are laid August to October and incubated for about 17 days.
References
- Hockey PAR, Dean WRJ & Ryan PG (eds) 2005. Robert's Birds of Southern Africa, 7th edition. John Voelcker Bird Book Fund, Cape Town, South Africa. ISBN 0620340533
- Sinclair I & Ryan P. 2003. Birds of Africa south of the Sahara. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0620207299
