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Streaky seedeater

Crithagra striolata (Serinus striolatus)

Geographical distribution and habitat
The Streaky seedeater is found in the mountains and on the high plateaus in the east of Africa: in Ethiopia, parts of Kenya, Zaire, Tanzania, Rwanda, Sudan and Uganda. The birds are even found at great heights in cold, wet areas. These birds live on seeds, berries and insects. Especially the seeds of the Lobelia seem to be preferred. The nests are found quite low in bushes and scrub. In their natural habitat there are more or less two breeding periods, with a non-productive period of a few months. The young birds in the nest are being fed out of the crop of the parents. Caterpillars would be fed directly from the beak.

Size: 15-16 cm (5.9-6.3 Inch).

Description and subspecies
Sexes are alike, there is no significant difference in appearance in male or female. Although it could be said that, by comparison, the male bird is more bright in color and more pronounced in drawings.

One subspecies is described:
-C. s. graueri: which is more brown than the nominate bird and therefore less pronounced on the back.
The subspecies C. s. whytii (with yellow eyebrows) is, according to Clements' Checklist of December 2010, an independent species.

Details
Crithagra striolata is instantly recognizable by the creamy-white eyebrow, the beard stripes and the heavily striping on the chest and in the flanks. The area of the throat is creamy-white. This rather large Serin species can hardly be mistaken with other species of the Crithagra family. This bird is the least susceptible to low temperature and high humidity because they originally live in relatively cold and humid regions. On the menu may also be some larger seeds, such as small sunflower seeds and peeled oats, together with millet, canary seed, rapeseed, perilla, small berries and fruits. For breeding they do not  necessarily need (living) insects for feeding and rearing of their youngsters.

(16-10-2019)