The Green Singing Finch (Yellow-fronted Canary)
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| Green Singing Finch8,11,12 | |
| Serinus mozambicus, 11 subspecies | |
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| True Finch | |
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| Hardiness: | Hardy |
| Reproduction: | Prolific but can be challenging |
| Singing ability: | Excellent |
| Compatibility: | Pushy, mixes well with other pushy species
[Compatibility Chart] |
| Size: | 5" (12.7 cm) |
| Approx. cost: | $100-200 (US) per pair |
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Other common names
Green Canary, Green Singing Finch, Green Sisie, Icterine Canary, Mozambique Serin, Yellow-fronted Canary, Yelloweyed Canary, Yellow-eyed Canary, Yellow-fronted Seedeater, Green Singer
Origin
Africa
Area of distribution
Disposition
Active, may become territorial when breeding.
Physical descriptions
Grey head with two bright yellow streaks: one above the eyes ("eyebrow streak") and one below the eyes. Bright yellow plumage covers the entire underside of the bird, extending from the chin down to the undertail. The top of the neck, back, wings, and tail are a greenish grey with yellow margins to the wing and tail feathers.
Sexing
Hens are duller overall and often have a line of grey feathers extending across the lower throat, resembling a grey necklace. Only the cock sings, though hey may not sing year-round.
Song
Song clip (.mp3, .04 MB)
Pictures
If you keep this species and have a photo of your birds to share, please
submit your photo for possible inclusion on this site! Credit will be given to you.
Photo by Charles Lam.
Photo by Charles Lam.
Favorite foods
Canary seed, green food,
mealworms.
Natural habitat
No data.
Habits
Green Singing Finches only pair up for the breeding season, after which time they separate.
Special considerations
Because males can be aggressive towards one another (although they are not usually aggressive to other species), only one pair should be housed per enclosure. Green Singing Finches are related to the wild canary (
S. canarius), and have been hybridized with canaries (Green Singing cock × Border or Roller canary hen) to produce fertile offspring. Green Singing finches could also potentially hybridize with other canaries and closely related species such as the Gray Singing Finch (
S. leucopygius). They tend to be long-lived (a captive life span of 10+ years is not uncommon).
Serinus mozambicus is a species listed in the CITES Appendices, meaning that international trade of the Green Singing Finch (export, import) is restricted. Therefore if you obtain a pair, you should strongly consider breeding them to continue their availability in captivity.
Breeding season
No data.
Breeding tips
Only house one pair per enclosure. The often rough courtship (where the male tends to pluck some of the female's feathers) lasts about one week before the pair settles down. They build a cup-shaped nest and may accept a half-open nest box or a canary nest basket. Eggs are pale blue in color and incubated by the hen. The cock does not incubate, but does feed the hen while she is sitting on the eggs. Once the chicks hatch, provide plenty of
live food and
soft food for the pair to feed their young.
Life Cycle
| Clutch size: | 2-4 |
| Incubation: | Done by the hen |
| Hatch date: | After 13 days of incubation |
| Fledge date: | At 18 days of age |
Related Article(s)
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submit your article for possible inclusion on this site. Credit will be given to you!
Green Singing Finches
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