This conspicuous white rump is the most colorful part of the bird, unfortunately, and it is not widely popular as an avicultural subject because of this total lack of color. Further study of the various species of finches in the 1800 s placed this species in the genus Serinus, and the scientific name was changed to Serinus leucopygius, and that remains the current scientific name for this species. The Gray Singing Finch is native to Africa south of the Sahara Desert. Its range extends from Senegal east to the Sudan, and it is found around farms, villages, and gardens. This species is also common in the dry, brushy areas.
Ornithologists recognize three subspecies of the Gray Singing Finch.
The nominate subspecies is Serinus leucopygius leucopygius, and it is found from the Sudan and Ethiopia south to Uganda. Serinus leucopygius pallens is found from Niger to northern Nigeria, and Serinus leucopygius riggenbachi is found from Senegal to western Sudan. This is one of the few finches that we maintain in aviculture that was not placed in the traditional family Estrildidae. Like the canaries, buntings, bullfinches and siskins, the Gray Singing Finch was classified in the traditional family Fringillidae. DNA analysis made major changes in the taxonomic structure of the finch families.