Abstract
The Grey-crowned Negrofinch Nigrita canicapilla
The seven subspecies follow, accompanied by explanations of their scientific names:
• Nigrita canicapilla canicapilla - generic name L. nigritia, black; specific/subspecific name L. canus, grey; - capillus, crowned, capped.
• N. c. emiliae - after Emilia Snethlage (1868-1929) a German Ornithologist and author.
• N. c. angolensis - after Angola.
• N. c. sparsirnguttata - L. sparsus, (spargere), scattered; guttatus, spotted, spots.
• N. c. scbistacea - Late L. scbistaceus, slate grey, slate-colored.
• N. c. diabolica - L. diabolicus, devilish (ref. unknown).
• N. c. candida - L. candidus, white.
Description
Length 15 cm (6 in). The sexes are alike. N. c. canicapilla has the forehead, face, sides of the neck and the entire underparts dense black. A white line forms a border between the black forehead, face and neck and the slight- · ly silvery grey crown, nape and hind neck. The mantle and back are of a similar grey to the crown. The lower back and rump are greyish white with most of the feathers having greyish subterminal bars. The longest upper tail coverts are dark grey with whitish tips, the others are as the rump. The tail is black. The wings are black with conspicuous white spotting. The under wing coverts are mainly silvery white. The irides are orange-red or red. The bill is black (females average smaller bills). The legs and feet are dark grey, dark brown or blackish.
The juvenile is a general dark
smoky or brownish grey to sooty black, paler on the rump and with blackish wings which show only faint spotting. The irides are greyish to bluish and the bill is dark grey or dark horn (Goodwin, 1982, Restall 1975).
N. c. emiliae is smaller than canicapilla and has the rump only a slightly paler grey than the back and the white line dividing the black and grey parts is only slightly indicated. The spots on the lesser wing coverts are smaller and silvery grey, not white. The spots on the median and greater coverts and inner secondaries are greatly reduced, the wings appearing only lightly spotted and laced with silvery grey. The juvenile is like that of canicapilla but has only a faint brownish lacing on the wing coverts.
N. c. angolensis is much like canicapilla and has equally boldly spotted wings but its upperparts are a darker grey.
N. c. schistacea is also of the same size of the nominate canicapilla but is darker grey on the hind crown, mantle and hack and normally has smaller and less numerous wing spots.
N. c. diabolica is similar to schistacea hut is smaller and has sooty grey upperparts and dull black underparts.
N. c. candid.a is also like schistacea hut its crown and nape are whitish grey like its rump.
N. c. sparsimguuata is listed by Howard & Moore 0994) but may (or may not) be an intergrade. No details.
Field Guide
It is a small black bird with grey upperparts and a conspicuous whitish rump. Close up the white spots on its black wings are striking (unless it is the western most race emiliae). It can be distinguished from the smaller Palefronted Negro-finch N. luteifrons by its black, not whitish, forehead and the white spots on its wings.
Voice
The far-carrying song is short, persistent, perennial and very distinctive. It consists of half a dozen clear whistling notes (Serie, et al., 1977). Clement, et al. 0993) report the call to be "an unmistakable, clear and farreaching plaintive three-note whistle, hooeee, hoooeeee, hooo or tyea-tyeatyea, usually delivered from a series of preferred songposts within the bird's territory all year round." Zimmerman et al. 0996) say the bird is largely silent in the Kenyan/northern Tanzanian region compared to West African races (possible racial variation or birds undergoing molt at time of study?) otherwise a sweet, plaintive three- or fournote whistle, eeee-ti-WEE tew or eeeteu WEEE-weu is given.
Distribution
N. c. emiliae: Guinea and Sierra Leone to Ghana and Togo.
N. c. canicapilla: southern Benin, southern and eastern Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea (Fernando Po) east through Cameroon to the Central African Republic, western Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. It has also been recorded on the borders of extreme southern Sudan.
N. c. angolensis: southwest Democratic Republic of Congo to northwest Angola.
N. c. sparsimguttata. (?) southern Sudan, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and northwest Tanzania (Howard & Moore, 1994).
N . c. scbistacea. southeast Sudan (Imatong Mountains), south and west Uganda, northern Democratic Republic of Congo, western Kenya (from Mt. Elgon and the Cheranganis, south through the Nandi, Kakamega, Mau and Trans-Mara Forests to Kilgoris and Lolgorien) and northern Tanzania.
N. c. diabolica. Kenya (from Mount Kenya, the Nyambenis and Aberdares south to Nairobi) and northern Tanzania (Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru, in Arusha NP and in the Crater and Mbulu Highlands).
N. c. candida: Kungwe-Mahari Mountains, western Tanzania.
References
Clement, P., Harris, A. & Davis,J. 1993. Finches and sparrows. Christopher Helm, London.
Coles, D. 1986. First breeding records for birds reared to independence under controlled conditions in the United Kingdom (with 1995 update). Coles, Berks.
Colston, P. R. & Curry-Lindahl, K. 1986. The birds of Mount Nimba, Liberia. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), London.
Fry, C. H. 1968. Negro-finches. Birds of the world, Vol. VIII, pp. 2674-2675. IPC., London.
Goodwin, D. 1982. Estrildid finches of the world. Brit. Mus. (Nat. Hist.), London.
Howard, R. & Moore, A. 1994. A complete checklist of the birds of the world - 2nd edition. Acad. Press, London.
Jobling,J. A. 1991. A dictionary of scientific bird names. OUP, Oxford.
Restall, R. 1975. Finches and other seed-eating birds. Faber, London.
Serie, W., Morel, G.j. & Hartwig, W. 1977. Birds of West Africa. Collins, London.
van Perlo, 13. 1995. Collins illustrated checklist - birds of eastern Africa. HarperCollins, London.
Zimmerman, D. A., Turner, D. A. & Pearson, D. J. 1996. Birds of Kenya and northern Tanzania. C. Helm. London.