Black-throated Canary ( Crithagra atrogularis, family: Fringillidae)
The Black-throated Canary (Latin name Crithagra atrogularis) is described in Roberts Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition. This bird has a unique Roberts number of 870 and you will find a full description of this bird on page 1120 also a picture of the Black-throated Canary on page 1136. The Black-throated Canary belongs to the family of birds classified as Fringillidae. According to the Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology the Black-throated Canary is also known by these other names: Yellow-rumped Seedeater, Southern Yellow-rumped Seedeater, Gray Canary.
In the previous edition of Roberts (ie 6th edition) the Black-throated Canary was called the . The Robert's 7 Latin name for Black-throated Canary has changed from Serinus atrogularis in Robert's 6 to Crithagra atrogularis.
The map of the Kruger you see on this page shows the areas (coloured orange) where this bird has been identified. The basic information was provided by the Avian Demographic Unit based at UCT and I created the maps from that information ... the green dots show the locations of the various Kruger National Park Rest Camps
The Black-throated Canary is neither Endemic or near Endemic to the Kruger National Park. It is however a common resident
In terms of distribution of the Black-throated Canary in the Kruger National Park you may not see it in all areas. Black-throated Canary : see above distribution map.
Identification assistance for this avian species ...
One of the first indicators to take note of when trying to identify a bird is it relative size. For example how big is the bird compared to a well known familiar bird. The Black-throated Canary is an extremely small bird about half the size of a house sparrow. The height of the Black-throated Canary is about 12 cms and its weight is about 13 gms
You will find that the male Black-throated Canary plumage and colours are different to that of the female Black-throated Canary
- Head is black, brown.
- Eye is brown.
- Bill is pink.
- Throat is white.
- Back is black, white.
- Legs are pink.
This bird has normally proportioned leg length.
Main diet items for this bird ...
The Black-throated Canary feeds on the ground, on the wing and in foliage mainly
Invertebrates
Fruits
Seeds
Breeding and nesting habits for this bird ...
The Black-throated Canary is monogamous unless its mate dies. In the event of a partner dying Crithagra atrogularis will seek out a new mate
The nesting habit of Black-throated Canary is to create the nest in a hole in a tree trunk or on branches as a support. The bird lays eggs which are blue in colour and number between 2 to 4
Habitat and flocking behaviour for this bird ...
The preferred habitats for Black-throated Canary are: woodlands and grasslands
You will normally see the Black-throated Canary in pairs or flocks and not as single birds.
Names of this avian species in other languages ...
Xhosa ... Unknown
Zulu ... Unknown
Afrikaans ...Bergkanarie
German ... Angolagirlitz
Portuguese ... Canrio-de-garganta-preta
French ... Serin gorge noire
Dutch ... Zwartkeelkanarie
First bird in list | Previous bird viewed | Next KNP bird | Last bird in list
For in-depth birding information please refer to these authoritative avian references ...
Robert's 7th edition number ... 870
The main reference source for this data was "Roberts - Birds of Southern Africa, 7th Edition" . Other references were "Newmans Birds of the Kruger Park" by Keith Newman published circa 1980 . Names in foreign languages were obtained from the Percy Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology, University of Cape Town website , www.fitzpatrick.uct.ac.za
