Forest Canary

Forest Canary

Crithagra scotops

Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~20% · Possible
at Table Mountain National Park
1,441 Verified sightings at Table Mountain National Park From 2019 to 2026
1,910 Verified sightings across all 7 parks From 2019 to 2026
October Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Forest Canary

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 →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Garden Route National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~30%
2 Table Mountain National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
~20%
3 Addo Elephant National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
<5%
4 Golden Gate Highlands National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
5 Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
6 iSimangaliso Wetland Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data
7 Kruger National Park 🇿🇦 South Africa
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Forest Canary in Table Mountain National Park?

About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Forest Canary sighting in Table Mountain National Park, based on 1,441 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Forest Canary in Table Mountain National Park?

October has the highest sighting rate for Forest Canary in Table Mountain National Park in our monthly data.

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