Drakensberg Siskin

About the Drakensberg Siskin

The Drakensberg siskin (Crithagra symonsi) is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is an endemic resident breeder in the eastern Cape Province Transkei and western Natal in South Africa, and in Lesotho. This species is sometimes considered to be conspecific with the Cape siskin (Crithagra totta) of southern Cape Province, in which case the nominate western form is C. t. totta, and the eastern form is C. t. symonsi.

This locally common but shy and unobtrusive siskin is found in the scrubby valleys and hillsides of the Drakensberg mountains. The Drakensberg 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 Drakensberg siskin were moved to the resurrected genus Crithagra.

The Drakensberg siskin averages 13–14 cm in length. The tail has white sides, a feature which is diagnostic for both sexes, and especially visible in flight. The adult male has a faintly streaked light brown back, light brown wing coverts, rump and upper tail, and yellow underparts. The head and nape sides... Wikipedia →