Crithagra scotops
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~50% in a week ~80%
The forest canary (Crithagra scotops) is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in South Africa and Eswatini. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and subtropical or tropical moist montane forest.
The forest canary 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 forest canary were moved to the resurrected genus Crithagra.
The forest canary's main diet consists of seeds, fruits, and figs. Seeds like Panicum (Guinea grasses), Alyssum, and Passerina corymbosa (gonna) are commonly found in their diet. Forest canaries enjoy Penaea cneorum and Penaeaceae flowers. These birds enjoy Senecio (creeping groundsel) and Ptaeroxylon obliquum (Sneezewood) leaves. In addition to these, the forest canary will also eat insects. However, insects are usually consumed during the breeding season as a source of more protein. When searching for food, they will forage in small groups or pairs. They tend to forage in low areas, such as the ground or near bushes and... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Garden Route National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 2 | Table Mountain National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 3 | Addo Elephant National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa | |
| 4 | De Hoop Nature Reserve | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cape Town | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Canary sighting in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, based on 1,440 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 36th most-seen of the 223 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 50%, and over a week to about 80%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Canary in Table Mountain National Park on a given day, against about 10% in June–July and December–February, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Forest Canary sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Forest Canary sightings, Table Mountain National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Garden Route National Park (South Africa, about 30%).
Same genus: Crithagra
The closest relatives of the Forest Canary that you can see in Table Mountain National Park (genus Crithagra, African Seedeaters, Serins, Canaries, and Citrils) are Brimstone Canary (about 10%) and Cape Siskin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Forest Canary is recorded against all the birds logged in Table Mountain National Park (1,440 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.
