Yellow-crowned Canary

Yellow-crowned Canary

Serinus flavivertex

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

LCLeast ConcernNTVUENCR
Daily sighting probability ~10% · With luck
at Addis Ababa

In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%

40 Verified sightings at Addis Ababa
707 In all 11 parks From 2019 to 2026
September Best month
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted

About the Yellow-crowned Canary

The yellow-crowned canary (Serinus flavivertex) is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is a resident breeder in eastern Africa. It was formerly considered conspecific with the Cape canary (Serinus canicollis).

Its habitat is fynbos, grassland and gardens, preferably in highland areas. It builds a compact cup nest in a scrub. The yellow-crowned canary is 11–13 cm in length. The adult male has a green back with black edging to the wings and tail. The underparts, rump and tail sides are yellow, and the lower belly is white. The head is brighter in colour than the Cape canary, yellow in colour, and the face is cinnamon. The juvenile has greenish-yellow underparts with heavy brown streaking.

The yellow-crowned canary is a common and gregarious seedeater. Its call is tsit-it-it, and the song is warbled goldfinch-like trills and whistles given in display flight or from a high perch. Wikipedia →

Sounds

Song0:43

Kenya · 2026

© Ding Li Yong · XC1178104 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Call0:13

Malawi · 2023

© Dries Van de Loock · XC860415 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Song0:09

Kenya · 2022

© Lars Lachmann · XC749274 · CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Global Distribution

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Aberdare National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
~40%
2 Volcanoes National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
3 Bale Mountains National Park 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~10%
4 Nyungwe National Park 🇷🇼 Rwanda
~10%
5 Virunga National Park 🇨🇩 Democratic Republic of the Congo
~10%
6 Ngorongoro Conservation Area 🇹🇿 Tanzania
~10%
7 Bwindi Impenetrable National Park 🇺🇬 Uganda
~10%
8 Arusha National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%
9 Amboseli National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
10 Lake Nakuru National Park 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%
11 Serengeti National Park 🇹🇿 Tanzania
<5%

Cities Where Found

# City Country Daily sighting probability
1 Addis Ababa 🇪🇹 Ethiopia
~10%
2 Nairobi 🇰🇪 Kenya
<5%

Before you go

What are the chances of seeing a Yellow-crowned Canary in Addis Ababa?

With luck

About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-crowned Canary sighting in Addis Ababa on a given day, based on 40 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 43rd most-seen of the 109 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.

When is the best time to see a Yellow-crowned Canary in Addis Ababa?

September

In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Yellow-crowned Canary in Addis Ababa on a given day, against under 5% in January–April and June, the lowest months. That is one of Addis Ababa's wettest months, with about 150 mm of rain against 10 mm in January.

What time of day is best to see a Yellow-crowned Canary?

Between 7 and 10 am

Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Yellow-crowned Canary sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.

Is Addis Ababa the best place to see a Yellow-crowned Canary?

Yes

Of the 2 cities where we can rate Yellow-crowned Canary sightings, Addis Ababa has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Nairobi (Kenya, under 5%).

Which relatives of the Yellow-crowned Canary live in Addis Ababa?

Same family: Fringillidae

The closest relatives of the Yellow-crowned Canary that you can see in Addis Ababa (family Fringillidae, Finches, Euphonias, and Allies) are Brown-rumped Seedeater (about 80%), Streaky Seedeater (about 60%) and African Citril (about 30%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.

Where does the Yellow-crowned Canary sighting chance come from?

GBIF citizen-science records

It is estimated from how often the Yellow-crowned Canary is recorded against all the birds logged in Addis Ababa (40 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.

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