CreatureData

Cape siskin

Crithagra totta (Sparrman, 1786)

LCLeast Concernsongbirds

The cape siskin (Crithagra totta) is a species in the family Fringillidae, order Passeriformes. Recorded adults weigh 13 g to 13.5 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Cape siskin (Crithagra totta)
Photo: logan kahle · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the cape siskin

Weight
13 g – 13.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Omnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Young per litter or clutch
3.9src for Young per litter or clutch
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the cape siskin live?

Not recorded

What is the cape siskin?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Cape siskin (Crithagra totta) is a small passerine bird in the finch family. It is an endemic resident breeder in the southern Cape Province of South Africa.

This locally common but shy and unobtrusive siskin is found in the southwestern and southern Cape's rocky slopes, coastal cliffs and fynbos-covered mountains. It also occurs in towns and the suburbs of Cape Town.

From the Wikipedia article “Cape siskin” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_siskin&oldid=1355098148), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the cape siskin endangered?

The cape siskin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species. What the categories mean.

How is the cape siskin classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderPasseriformes
  5. familyFringillidae
  6. genusCrithagra
  7. SpeciesCrithagra totta (Sparrman, 1786)

Synonyms Carduelis tottus, Loxia totta, Pseudochloroptila totta, Serinus totta, Serinus totta totta

Other names and names in other languages (37)
  • CASIEnglish
  • Kaapse PietjiekanarieAfrikaans
  • سسكن الرأسArabic
  • gafarró tottaCatalan
  • zvonohlík žlutohnědýCzech
  • serin y PenrhynWelsh
  • HottentotsiskenDanish
  • KapgirlitzGerman
  • HottentottengirlitzGerman
  • kaba serinoEsperanto
  • Serín de El CaboSpanish
  • Canario de El CaboSpanish
  • pruunselg-rohtlavintEstonian
  • kapinhemppoFinnish
  • Serin tottaFrench
  • Crithagre tottaFrench
  • Tarin du CapFrench
  • kapski čižakCroatian
  • hottentotta csicsörkeHungarian
  • Venturone brunoItalian
  • Lucarino del CapoItalian
  • Venturone del CapoItalian
  • ケープヒワJapanese
  • kapinis svilikėlisLithuanian
  • Kaapse KanarieDutch
  • kappiriskNorwegian
  • afrokulczyk przylądkowyPolish
  • canário-do-caboPortuguese
  • Капский канареечникRussian
  • Капский канареечный вьюрокRussian
  • kanárik skalnýSlovak
  • Kapska žutaricaSerbian
  • kapsiskaSwedish
  • Kap İsketesiTurkish
  • щедрик капськийUkrainian
  • 南非絲雀Chinese
  • 海角丝雀Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the cape siskin

Other species in the same genus Crithagra.

CompareCape siskin vs Yellow-fronted canaryCape siskin vs Yellow canaryCape siskin vs Black-throated canaryCape siskin vs Drakensberg siskin

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the cape siskin?

An adult cape siskin weighs 13 g – 13.5 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the cape siskin endangered?

The cape siskin is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

What kind of animal is the cape siskin?

The cape siskin (Crithagra totta) belongs to the family Fringillidae in the order Passeriformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Cape siskin (Crithagra totta). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-siskin

MLA

“Cape siskin (Crithagra totta).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-siskin.

BibTeX
@misc{cape_siskin_2026,
  title = {Cape siskin (Crithagra totta)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/cape-siskin},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}