“I read articles posted on your website about the Yellow-fronted Canary (Serinus mozambicus). I was amazed at the reports.
“I have discovered a Yellow-fronted Canary at my bird feeder in the past week. I live in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. This is a very long way from its native habitat.
“I am sending *two photographs of this bird for positive identification. I believe it to be a wild species. It is not banded, and was possibly taken from the wild and sold into illegal markets and has somehow found its way to my city, a seaport in the north Atlantic.
“Could you post this report, as it would help in educating readers about the ban placed on the export of these birds for illegal sale to foreign markets, as a result of contagious avian diseases.”
Keith Fillier
St. John’s
Newfoundland
Canada
16th September 2009
Summerian Turks, who wrote on the status of the Yellow-fronted Canary and the extent of the international trade earlier (see HERE), confirms the identification of the bird, adding that from its facial markings, it is likely to be a male. The female usually has more grey on the underparts.
*Only one photograph posted here.
2 Responses
THANK-YOU FOR YOUR TIME IN POSTING MY DISCOVERY.
I HAVE NOT SEEN THE YELLOW-FRONTED FOR THE LAST WEEK, BUT I FEEL HE HAS BEEN ADOPTED INTO A FLOCK OF AMERICAN GOLDFINCHES, AS THESE ARE THE BIRDS HE WAS SITED WITH MOST FREQUENTLY AT MY FEEDER.
MOST MIGRATE SOUTH, AS THE WINTER IN CANADA WOULD BE MUCH TOO SEVERE FOR THIS BIRD.
I HAVE BEEN CHECKING TO FIND IF THIS BIRD IS BEING BRED IN CAPTIVITY. IT SEEMS THERE ARE VERY FEW BREEDERS OF THIS SPECIES IN NORTH AMERICA.
I HAVE COLLECTED A LARGE AMOUNT OF DATA FROM MY RESEARCH, AND SOME BREEDERS HAVE HELPED ME IN MY SEARCH.
MY FEELING IS THAT THIS BIRD MAY HAVE BEEN A WILD SPECIES, TRAPPED AND CAGED THEN SOLD IN A MARKET SOMEWHERE IN THE EAST. IT WAS MOST PROBABLY KEPT AS A PET ABOARD A LARGE CARGO SHIP. IT ESCAPED SOMEWHERE IN THE ATLANTIC AND FOUND ITS WAY TO ST. JOHN’S, NEWFOUNDLAND, CANADA.
THE BIRD AS A DOMESTIC SPECIES IS MOST COMMONLY CALLED THE GREEN SINGER.
I BELIEVE PERSONALLY, THAT ALL EXOTIC BIRDS BELONG IN THEIR NATURAL AND NATIVE HABITAT. THAT IS WHERE WE SHOULD STUDY THEM, AND IT IS WHERE THEY PROPERLY BELONG.
AGAIN, THANKS SO MUCH.