The Streaky-headed Seedeater is not a bird that calls attention to itself, for its colouring is a dullish brown.
The most striking aspect of its outfit is the clearly marked pale eyebrow.
This is a species that has only come into our garden regularly during the last five or six years. As they are usually found in woodland, thickets and dense scrub, I suspect it is the drought that has attracted them to suburbia on a more regular basis.
Even so, I hear their whistled ‘tsee-weet’ call more frequently than I actually see these birds.
They avoid the main feeding frenzy of the early morning, preferring not to compete with the weavers on the feeders or the doves on the ground. This makes them fairly difficult subjects to photograph, so I have left the best portrait for last.
Something Over Tea 
A nice looking bird. It reminds me oof a female Purple Finch that we occasionally see during winter.
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The Purple Finch looks a pretty bird and I see it too has a clear ‘eyebrow’.
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They are an infrequent visitor to our spot.
Noticed my first one a couple of years ago eating seeds from some cosmos we had along the driveway.
What a surprise!
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I have only seen them more regularly in our garden over the past five years – rarely more than a pair at a time.
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I can remember seeing one for the first time back in the 80’s in our garden in Pretoria and being quite pleased that I could identify it
When they feel like it their song is a pleasant one
Nice photos
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I enjoy their song, usually emanating from the tangle of Cape Honeysuckle and well out of sight.
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A sweet little bird! I’m with Lisa about the resemblance to a female purple finch.
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Having looked up the Purple Finch, I can see the resemblance.
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The feathers on it’s head are very pretty! ❤️
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Thank you, John. I think so too.
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Looks a bit like our female rose-breasted grosbeak, which are probably much larger. They have a squeaky-gate call that is quite distinctive.
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The similarity in looks between these birds is amazing!
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So well camouflaged
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They are well camouflaged and are not easy to see in either the thickets or grass – hence my photographs of them on the bare ground and visiting the feeders.
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They are attractive little birds and their timing seems quite clever!
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I think so too – there is still plenty of food for them to eat once the first ‘feeding frenzy’ is over.
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What wonderful pictures you have of the streaky-headed seedeater (canary sounds better?), Anne! They only occasionally venture near our garden and hardly ever sit longer than one song.
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I mourn the loss of their canary epithet!
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