Fun Yellow-fronted Canary Facts For Kids

The Yellow-fronted Canary is a small bird from the finch family. It has two scientific names, Crithagra mozambica and Serinus mozambicus. It is also popularly known as the green singing finch and is endemic to the continent of Africa. In Africa, it is found in a range of different countries in the sub-Saharan (south of the Sahara desert) part of the continent.  The green singing finch is fond of living in grasslands, woodlands, coastal scrub, sand dunes, and mangroves. It has many predators in the wild like snakes and falcons, which is why it may live for only 2-3 years in the wild. Without these predators, it may live for 10 or more years as a domestic pet. They mate for life and the pairs tend to be slightly territorial. The Yellow-fronted Canary is a species of Least Concern according to the IUCN but it does show a decreasing population trend.

For more relatable content, check out these Steller's jay facts and Atlantic canary facts for kids.

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What type of animal is a Yellow-fronted Canary?

The Yellow-fronted Canary (Crithagra mozambica or Serinus mozambicus) is a bird and a finch.

What class of animal does a Yellow-fronted Canary belong to?

The Yellow-fronted Canary (Crithagra mozambica) belongs to the 'Aves' class of animals.

How many Yellow-fronted Canaries are there in the world?

It is unclear how many Yellow-fronted Canary birds are left in the world, but their populations show a decreasing trend. They do have considerable numbers in the sub-Saharan African region, however.

Where does a Yellow-fronted Canary live?

Yellow-fronted Canary birds are endemic to the continent of Africa, mainly sub-Saharan Africa. There are many countries that they are found in including Mauritania, Liberia, Guinea, Mali, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Benin, Chad, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Eritrea, Sudan, Ethiopia, Zaire, Congo, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania, Burundi, Angola, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and Botswana. Yellow-fronted Canary birds are not found in the South African arid regions as well as the Congo Basin's rainforests.

Because of the pet trade, Yellow-fronted Canaries are also found in Puerto Rico, Hawaiian islands,  Sao Tomé, Mauritius, Mafia Island, and Réunion. The canaries of these islands and regions are caged birds that have been released.

Also, the Yellow-fronted Canaries are a largely non-migratory species of birds. They only travel short distances to escape bad weather and for better food sources.

What is a Yellow-fronted Canary's habitat?

The Yellow-fronted Canary bird (or the green singing finch) favors grasslands as well as woodlands. It is also found living in habitats like mangroves, coastal scrub, and sand dunes. It tends to avoid arid places and tropical rainforests. The Yellow-fronted Canary is also attracted to cultivated lands that have plenty of millet, sorghum, and other grains.

Whom do the Yellow-fronted Canaries live with?

The Yellow-fronted Canary birds are seen by themselves or with small groups while foraging. It is not uncommon to see a flock of up to 100 canaries, some even in mixed flocks with other finches. Yellow-fronted canaries are even known to roost together in bushes and trees. During the breeding season, they form pairs that are known to get moderately territorial. However, 2-3 nests are sometimes observed in the same tree.

How long does a Yellow-fronted Canary live?

The Yellow-fronted Canary birds usually live for 2-3 years in the wild, with one finch observed to have lived for 8.5 years. When captive, because of the absence of predators, the Yellow-fronted Canary lifespan may increase to 10 years or more.

How do they reproduce?

The Yellow-fronted Canary birds mate for life and are monogamous. A formed bird pair is moderately territorial. Slow and stilted chasing flights make up a breeding ritual for these bright-yellow finches. The nests are built 3.3-20 ft (1-6.1 m) off the ground by the females. Males help to procure twigs, plant fibers, branches, and even the web of spiders to make nests that are cup-shaped. A nesting site with dense foliage is chosen. Male canaries sing loud, trilling songs while perching in the nest and they also sway slightly.

The rainy season is ideal for Yellow-fronted Canary breeding since there is an abundance of food supplies. Since the Yellow-fronted Canaries are spread over a wide range of countries, rainy seasons and hence, the breeding seasons come during different months. Females lay 3-4 eggs (one per day) and incubate them for around 13 days. Males are responsible for feeding the females. Newborn chicks need constant attention from their mothers and the males join in the feeding of young canaries as well. The chicks fledge after about 18 days and become independent at six weeks of age, but families sometimes stay together even after this.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the Yellow-fronted Canary (Crithagra mozambica) species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature is 'Least Concern'.

What do Yellow-fronted Canaries look like?

Yellow-fronted Canaries are largely bright-yellow colored birds. Adult males of the species have faces, flanks, underparts, rumps, bellies, tail coverts that are all golden-yellow. The eyestripe and malar stripe both continue till the beak and are a brown-black color. The crown and nape areas are gray. The necks and backs of the Yellow-fronted Canaries are an olive-green and yellowish color. The crown can also look yellowish sometimes. There is also dark streaking on the back parts which is sparse and dark. The primary and secondary feathers are dark brown and the tail feathers are light to dark brown. The tail feathers also have greenish or light yellow edges. The bill of these birds is pinkish-brown and feet and legs are gray. Yellow-fronted Canaries show some sexual dimorphism. Adult females are pale yellow and dull brown in plumage, more so than the male birds. The eyestripes and malar stripes are also lighter.  Females also have brown feathers at the bottom of the throat that looks like a pearl necklace. The juvenile birds resemble adult females' plumage and have heavy streaking and deeper gray color on the head. Juveniles have necklace markings too but they lose them after they're six months old.

There are at least 11 subspecies of the Yellow-fronted Canaries that show slight differences in plumage, wingspan, size like the canaries of South Africa, with western ones being duller in plumage than the eastern ones which are bright.

How cute are they?

Yellow-fronted Canaries are beautiful bright yellow-golden birds. They have dark eyestripes and malar stripes as well as gray crown and nape areas that make them look mysterious and smart. They are small and adorable and make for entertaining companions. Their sounds are loud, trilling, fluid, and sweet. And also, they mate for life. It is affectionately known in the pet world as 'the green singing finch'.

How do they communicate?

Within the Yellow-fronted Canary groups, posturing as well as voice calling is common. When perching, it is common for males to engage in singing competitions with trilling, fluid, and loud songs that go on for the entire day.

The call can be described as 'chip-chip', 'chirp', or 'tseeu'. And the song can be described as 'Zee-zeree-chereeo'.

How big is a Yellow-fronted Canary?

Yellow-fronted Canary birds are 4.3-5.1 in (11-13 cm) in length with a wingspan of 8.3-8.7 in (21-22 cm), which makes them 4-5 times smaller than Alexandrine parakeets. They are similar in size and only slightly bigger than verdins.

How fast can a Yellow-fronted Canary fly?

It is unclear exactly how fast a Yellow-fronted Canary may be able to fly, but like most small to medium-sized birds, it can be assumed to have speeds close to or above 25 mph (40 kph).

How much does a Yellow-fronted Canary weigh?

A Yellow-fronted Canary may weigh anywhere from 0.3-0.6 oz (8.5-17.1 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

Males and females of the Yellow-fronted Canary species do not have specific names.

What would you call a baby Yellow-fronted Canary?

A baby Yellow-fronted Canary may be called a chick.

What do they eat?

Yellow-fronted Canaries are omnivores who eat a diet of seeds, insects, sorghum seeds, millet seeds, termites, grasshoppers, aphids, leaves, petals, fruit, nectar.

In domestic aviary settings, you can feed them canary kernel, sprouted kernel, and cucumbers

They themselves get preyed upon by falcons, other raptors, snakes, and other arboreal predators.

Are they dangerous?

No, Yellow-fronted Canaries are not dangerous at all. In fact, they are very popular as pet birds.

Would they make a good pet?

Yes, they make great pets. They are relatively easier to care for and they sing beautiful melodic songs. They are so popular all over the world that Mozambique alone accounts for close to 10,000 Yellow-fronted Canary exports. They are also sometimes used for controlling populations of pests and insects in cultivated farms. One should remember not to house two canaries in the same cage though.

Did you know...

A group or flock of canaries are together called an 'aria' or an 'opera' of canaries.

The yellow canary is a small bird that is found in Southern African territories. It belongs to the finch family of birds.

The Atlantic canary (Serinus canaria) birds look similar in size and coloration to Yellow-fronted Canaries.

As the color yellow is related to joy and positivity, the Yellow-fronted Canary is also associated with it.

Where are the yellow Canaries from?

The yellow canary bird is native to the Central and Western-Southern African regions where it breeds. It was also introduced to the islands of St. Helena and Ascension in the South Atlantic Ocean.

Do the Canaries recognize their owners?

It is unclear whether the canaries are specific to humans. They are very smart animals and are capable of sensing and responding to human presence. They do enjoy attention from humans. They do not like to be touched too often like parrots.

They are intelligent and with training, can sit on the hands of their humans or fly around rooms.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these harlequin duck interesting facts and Jandaya parakeet surprising facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Cambodian tailorbird coloring pages.