Finches (Fringillidae)

Yellow Canary (Serinus flaviventris) - HBW 15, p. 528

French: Serin de Sainte-Hélène German: Gelbbauchgirlitz Spanish: Serín Amarillo
Other common names: Shell Canary, Yellow Sysie

Taxonomy: Loxia flaviventris J. F. Gmelin, 1789, Cape of Good Hope = Berg River, Cape Province, South Africa.
Sometimes considered conspecific with S. dorsostriatus, but may not be closely related. Races intergrade. In South Africa, proposed race hesperus (described from Port Nolloth, in NW Northern Cape Province) is considered an intergrade between nominate race and marshalli, and quintoni (from Hillmore, near Beaufort West, in E Western Cape) is likewise a synonym of nominate; aurescens (from Kenhardt-Brandvlei road, in C Northern Cape) is synonymized with marshalli. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

damarensis ( Roberts, 1922) - SW Angola, Namibia (except extreme S), Botswana and adjacent South Africa (extreme NE Northern Cape).
flaviventris ( J. F. Gmelin, 1789) - extreme S Namibia and W & SW South Africa (E to W Eastern Cape).
marshalli Shelley, 1902 - SE Botswana, N & C South Africa (Limpopo Province S to Northern Cape, Free State and N Eastern Cape) and lowlands of Lesotho.
guillarmodi ( Roberts, 1936) - highlands of Lesotho.