Streaky Seedeater (Crithagra striolata) [XC300211]
by Peter Boesman from Road from Goba to Sof Omar, Ethiopia (song)
Streaky Seedeater (Crithagra striolata) [XC300205]
by Peter Boesman from Goba area, Ethiopia (call)
Subspecies
Streaky Seedeater (Crithagra striolata) and Yellow-browed Seedeater (Serinus whytii) (Sibley and Monroe 1990, 1993) have been lumped as Serinus striolatus following Dowsett and Forbes-Watson (1993) who include striolatus as a subspecies of Yellow-browed Seedeater (Serinus whytii). The southern form whytii differs from other members of striolatus in its yellow throat, forehead and supercilium, wing-fringes and tail-fringes. However, the yellow coloration can only be scored once as a major difference, and other differences are not apparent.
Has previously been placed in genus Crithagra, and more recent mitochondrial DNA analysis indicates only distant relationship with other African serins, but detailed consideration of all taxa in present genus is required before full generic revision can be made. Subspecies whytii sometimes treated as a separate species on basis of structure and morphology, but possibly best considered an incipient species. Limited evidence from DNA analysis indicates close relationship between nominate and whytii.
Proposed subspecies affinis (described from Mt Kilimanjaro, in northern Tanzania) synonymized with nominate.
The following 3 subspecies are recognised:
striolata (Rüppell, 1840) - Northern Eritrea, Ethiopia and extreme south-eastern Sudan south to western and central Kenya and northern Tanzania.
whytii Shelley, 1897 - Southern Tanzania and northern Malawi. Considered by some authors to be a distinct species, Yellow-browed Seedeater (Serinus whytii).
BirdLife International Species Factsheet