Green Singing Finch

Looks how to spot one

feathers

A small, neat finch with a conical seed-cracking bill. The male has a green back, brownish wings and tail, bright yellow underparts and rump, and a yellow face framed by a grey crown and a thin black whisker stripe. Hens look alike but paler, and some carry a faint grey band across the throat.13

Personality what they are like

A lively, sociable finch that lives in flocks in the wild. Only the males sing, and they do it often. In an aviary, pairs bond closely and males can be territorial toward other singers or similarly coloured yellow birds, so one pair per enclosure works best.43

Daily activity how busy a day looks

An active flyer that does best with room to fly, such as a flight cage or aviary rather than a small cage.3

Grooming and care the hands-on bits

Low-maintenance bird that keeps its own plumage tidy. Birds kept outdoors need solid shelter from wind, storms and temperatures below about 10 C (50 F).3

Home where they are happiest

Can be kept in cages, flights or aviaries, with one pair (or a trio) per enclosure. Outdoor aviaries need a sheltered area for cold or stormy weather.3

Food basics what goes in the bowl

In the wild it eats grass and weed seeds, buds, flowers, leaves, nectar and small insects. In captivity a canary seed mix with greens such as cucumber, sprouted seed, soft food and some live food is typical.243

Company who they like around

Forms strong monogamous pair bonds. Keep as a pair; several pairs in one enclosure tend not to settle well.32

The story where it all began

This African finch has long been kept for its sweet song and is known in aviculture as the green singer. Birds were released in Hawaii in the 1960s and the species is now established there. DNA studies later moved it from the genus Serinus to Crithagra.41

Recognised by the official bits

IUCN Red List

Assessed as Least Concern1

Aviculture

Kept as a cage and aviary bird under the name green singing finch or green singer1