General

Yellow-fronted Canary: Small, short-tailed finch with green-gray upperparts and bright yellow underparts and rump. Crown and nape are gray; eyebrow and cheek are yellow; dark malar stripe. Conical bill is pale. Sexes are similar. Female is more gray or dull; necklace of small black dots around neck; face pattern not as defined, more gray; underparts are a duller yellow. Juvenile is similar to female, has deeper gray on the head and underparts. Rump is a dull green-yellow; tips of median and greater wing coverts are pale buff or yellow-buff.

Range and Habitat

Yellow-fronted Canary: Towards the end of the 1960s, this species was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands of Oahu, Molokai, and Hawaii, where they maintain resident colonies. They can be found in dry, open woodlands and also in cultivated areas. This species is native to Africa in areas south of the Sahara Desert.

Breeding and Nesting

Yellow-fronted Canary: Three to four blue-green eggs with fine brown speckling, more concentrated at larger end, are laid in a compact, open cup nest set in a tree. Incubation ranges from 12 to 14 days and is carried out by the female. Chicks fledge after 18 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Yellow-fronted Canary: They feed primarily on seeds and insects. Sorghum and millet seeds are husked and eaten readily, often taken from cultivated fields. They forage in small flocks on the ground and in the grass. Termites, aphids and grasshoppers are especially important during the breeding season for a much needed high-protein diet. Other food items include leaves, fruit, petals and nectar.

Readily Eats

Seeds

Vocalization

Yellow-fronted Canary: Males sing frequently though out the day. Song is pleasant, fluid, and canary-like. Call is a metallic "chip-chip".

Similar Species

Yellow-fronted Canary: Not likely to be confused with any other species.