Streaky-headed seedeater

file:Streaky-headed Seedeater (Serinus gularis).jpg seeds in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa]]

The streaky-headed seedeater was formerly placed in the genus Serinus but phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences found that the genus was polyphyletic.{{cite journal | last1=Zuccon | first1=Dario | last2=Prŷs-Jones | first2=Robert | last3=Rasmussen | first3=Pamela C. | last4=Ericson | first4=Per G.P. | year=2012 | title=The phylogenetic relationships and generic limits of finches (Fringillidae) | journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution | volume=62 | issue=2 | pages=581–596 | doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2011.10.002 | url=http://www.nrm.se/download/18.9ff3752132fdaeccb6800010935/Zuccon%20et%20al%202012.pdf | pmid=22023825}} The genus was therefore split and a number of species including the streaky-headed seedeater were moved to the resurrected genus Crithagra.{{cite web| editor1-last=Gill | editor1-first=Frank | editor2-last=Donsker | editor2-first=David | title=Finches, euphonias | work= World Bird List Version 5.2| url=http://www.worldbirdnames.org/bow/finches/ | publisher=International Ornithologists' Union| access-date=5 June 2015 }}{{cite journal | last=Swainson | first=William | author-link=William Swainson | year=1827 | title=On several forms in ornithology not hitherto defined | journal=Zoological Journal | volume=3 | page=348 | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/2339407 }}

There are five recognized subspecies, differing mainly in the colour shade of the upperparts and underparts. C. g. humilis of the southwestern Cape has dusky plumage and indistinctly streaked upperparts.{{cite book |last=Chittenden |first=H.|title=Roberts geographic variation of southern African birds |year=2012 |publisher=JVBBF |location=Cape Town |isbn=978-1-920602-00-0 |pages=242–243 |display-authors=etal}}

• C. g. benguellensis (Reichenow, 1904) — n Namibia, s Angola
• C. g. endemion (Clancey, 1952) — Lesotho, Eswatini, e South Africa, s Mozambique
• C. g. gularis (Smith, A, 1836) — n South Africa, sw Botswana, s Zimbabwe
• C. g. humilis (Bonaparte, 1850) — s South Africa
• C. g. mendosa (Clancey, 1966) — nw Botswana, Zimbabwe, c Mozambique, s Zambia

Some authorities consider the West African seedeater (Crithagra canicapilla) as a subspecies of the streaky-headed seedeater.{{cite web | last1=Clements | first1=J.F. | last2=Schulenberg | first2=T.S. | last3=Iliff | first3=M.J. | last4=Roberson | first4=D. | last5=Fredericks | first5=T.A. | last6=Sullivan | first6=B.L. | last7=Wood | first7=C.L. | year=2014 | title=The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: Version 6.9 | url=http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/ | access-date=13 July 2015}}{{cite book| last=Clement | first=P. | chapter=Streaky-headed Seedeater (Serinus gularis) | editor1-last=del Hoyo | editor1-first=J | editor2-last=Elliott | editor2-first=A. | editor3-last=Sargatal | editor3-first=J. | editor4-last=Christie | editor4-first=D.A. | editor5-last=de Juana | editor5-first=E. | title=Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive | publisher=Lynx Edicions | chapter-url= http://www.hbw.com/node/61316 | access-date=13 July 2015}}{{subscription required}} C. (g.) elgonensis, an isolated taxon occurring sparsely in the dry, eastern Ugandan woodlands and at Mt Elgon in Kenya, may be conspecific with either the West African seedeater{{cite book|author1=Terry Stevenson |author2=John Fanshawe |title=Birds of East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi |year=2004 |publisher=Helm Field Guides |isbn=0713673478 |pages=278}} or stripe-breasted seedeater.{{cite book |last=Zimmerman |first=Dale A. |title=Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania |year=1999 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=0691010226 |page=696 |display-authors=etal}}

The streaky-headed seedeater is 13–14 cm in length. The adult has brown upperparts with some faint streaking and a plain brown rump. The head has a finely white-streaked crown, dark face, and white supercilium and chin. The underparts are warm buff. The sexes are similar, but some females show a little breast streaking. The juvenile has less head streaking, a dull supercilium, more heavily streaked upperparts, and heavy streaking on the pale grey underparts.

Its habitat is open woodland and scrub, including savanna, orchards, and gardens. It builds a compact cup nest in a scrub.

The streaky-headed seedeater is usually seen in pairs, but can be gregarious, forming large flocks, alone or with other canary species. It feeds on soft fruit, weed seeds and buds, and sometimes takes insects. Large flocks can damage sunflower, millet and other cereal crops.

This is an unobtrusive finch, often perching inside bushes. Its call is a soft tseee, and the song is a wit-chee-chee-chee-cha cha cha cha chip, interspersed with mimicry of other species. There is also a tweu tweu tirrirrit-tink given in display flight.

{{Reflist}}

• Streaky-headed seedeater - [http://sabap2.adu.org.za/docs/sabap1/881.pdf Species text in The Atlas of Southern African Birds].

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streaky-headed seedeater

Category:Birds of Southern Africa

streaky-headed seedeater