Crithagra totta
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The Cape siskin (Crithagra totta) is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is an endemic resident breeder in the southern Cape Province of South Africa. This locally common but shy and unobtrusive siskin is found in the southwestern and southern Cape's rocky slopes, coastal cliffs and fynbos-covered mountains. It also occurs in towns and the suburbs of Cape Town.
The Cape siskin was formerly placed in the genus Serinus but phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences found that the genus was polyphyletic. The genus was therefore split and a number of species including the Cape siskin were moved to the resurrected genus Crithagra.
The Cape siskin is closely related to the Drakensberg siskin, and the two have sometimes been treated as conspecific. The Cape siskin averages 13 cm in length. The flight feathers and tail have white spots on the tips which are diagnostic for both sexes, and especially visible in flight. The adult male has a light brown back, wing coverts, rump and upper tail and yellow underparts. The head, nape and sides of neck are yellowish grey and olive. Fine dark brown streaks are most... Wikipedia →
Song0:30
South Africa · 2019
© Frank Lambert · XC523740 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Song0:54
South Africa · 2015
© Andrew Spencer · XC292040 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Recording0:08
South Africa · 2024
© Sally Adam · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Siskin sighting in Garden Route National Park on a given day, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 194th most-seen of the 222 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Cape Siskin in Garden Route National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to February, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Cape Siskin sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
3rd of 3
Of the 3 parks where we can rate Cape Siskin sightings, Garden Route National Park ranks 3rd at under 5%. The best odds are in Table Mountain National Park (South Africa, about 10%) and De Hoop Nature Reserve (South Africa, under 5%).
Same genus: Crithagra
The closest relatives of the Cape Siskin that you can see in Garden Route National Park (genus Crithagra, African Seedeaters, Serins, Canaries, and Citrils) are Forest Canary (about 30%), Streaky-headed Seedeater (about 20%) and Brimstone Canary (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Cape Siskin is recorded against all the birds logged in Garden Route National Park (19 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), 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.
