Birds of Bolivia

    PASSERIFORMES: Thraupidae (Tanagers & Allies)  
Genus: Sporophila (20 species, 41 worldwide)

Genus Sporophila contains small to tiny seedeaters in the tanager (Thraupidae) family. They have thick bills used mostly to eat grass seeds. The female is often plain and brown, but may show hints of the male's characteristics.


Chestnut-bellied Seed Finch
Chestnut-bellied Seed Finch (Sporophila angolensis) Male
Villavicencio, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Chestnut-bellied Seed Finch
Chestnut-bellied Seed Finch (Sporophila angolensis torrida) Female
Villavicencio, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Once considered the same species at the all black Thick-billed Seed Finch. HBW writes there is some hybridization in the Madgalena Valley of Colombia.

Black-billed Seed Finch
Black-billed Seed Finch (Sporophila atrirostris atrirostris) Male
Rioja, San Martín, Peru  
   
Photograph by Tropical Birding (Nick Athanas)   © All Rights Reserved.


Copper Seedeater
Copper Seedeater (Sporophila bouvreuil) Male
Reserva Biologica do Rio Descoberto, Brasilia, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Rodrigo Conte   © All Rights Reserved.


Lesson's Seedeater
Lesson's Seedeater (Sporophila bouvronides) Male
Venezuela
  Note top of head is black.
   
Photograph by Barlovento from Venezuela     Copyright and usage info

Lesson's Seedeater
Lesson's Seedeater (Sporophila bouvronides) Female
Venezuela  
   
Photograph by Barlovento from Venezuela     Copyright and usage info

Compare to Lined Seedeater, but note black crown. Found in marshes and grassland.

Double-collared Seedeater
Double-collared Seedeater (Sporophila caerulescens) Male
Itatiaia National Park, RJ, Brazil  
   
Photograph by João Sérgio Barros F. de Souza   © All Rights Reserved.

Double-collared Seedeater
Double-collared Seedeater (Sporophila caerulescens caerulescens) Female
Ituzaingó, Argentina  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.


Chestnut-bellied Seedeater
Chestnut-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila castaneiventris) Male
Wildsumaco Lodge, Sumaco, Ecuador  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Chestnut-bellied Seedeater
Chestnut-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila castaneiventris) Female
Inírida, Guainía, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.


Rusty-collared Seedeater
Rusty-collared Seedeater (Sporophila collaris) Male
Laguna Oca, Formosa, Argentina  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Rusty-collared Seedeater
Rusty-collared Seedeater (Sporophila collaris melanocephala) Female
Iberá, Argentina  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.


Rufous-rumped Seedeater
Rufous-rumped Seedeater (Sporophila hypochroma) Immature Male Near Threatened
Iberá, Argentina
  Note chest and belly will have the same deep red color.
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Very similar to Tawny-bellied Seedeater but note rich dark red color consistent from throat to vent.

Tawny-bellied Seedeater
Tawny-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila hypoxantha) Male
Porto Jofre, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Dave Curtis     Copyright and usage info

Very similar to Rufous-rumped Seedeater but note variation in a paler red between chest and lighter throat.

White-bellied Seedeater
White-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila leucoptera) Male
Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.


Lined Seedeater
Lined Seedeater (Sporophila lineola) Male
REGUA, Cachoeiras de Macacu, RJ, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Lined Seedeater
Lined Seedeater (Sporophila lineola) Female
San Martín de Amacayacu, Amazonas, Colombia
  Showing hints of the male coloration, as do many female seedeaters.
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Moves seasonally to northwest Amazon perhaps to eat grass seeds during the low water season. Compare to Lesson's Seedeater but note white crown; females identical.

Black-and-white Seedeater
Black-and-white Seedeater (Sporophila luctuosa) Male
Recinto del Pensamiento, Manizales, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Black-and-white Seedeater
Black-and-white Seedeater (Sporophila luctuosa) Female
Butterfly World, Florida, USA  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Found in the Andes at mid altitude levels in semi-open areas. Locally common at best.

Great-billed Seed Finch
Great-billed Seed Finch (Sporophila maximiliani) Male Endangered
Mato Grosso, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Hector Bottai     Copyright and usage info


Yellow-bellied Seedeater
Yellow-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila nigricollis nigricollis) Male
Recinto del Pensamiento, Manizales, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Yellow-bellied Seedeater
Yellow-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila nigricollis nigricollis) Female
Otún Quimbaya Wildlife Sanctuary, Pereira, Risaralda, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.


Black-and-tawny Seedeater
Black-and-tawny Seedeater (Sporophila nigrorufa) Male Vulnerable
Vila Bela da Santíssima, Trindade, Mato Grosso, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Hector Bottai     Copyright and usage info


Marsh Seedeater
Marsh Seedeater (Sporophila palustris) Male Endangered
Brazil  
   
Photograph by Cláudio D. Timm     Copyright and usage info


Pearly-bellied Seedeater
Pearly-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila pileata) Male
Parque Ecológico da Granja do Ipê, Brasilia, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Rodrigo Conte   © All Rights Reserved.


Plumbeous Seedeater
Plumbeous Seedeater (Sporophila plumbea whiteleyana) Male
French Guiana  
   
Photograph by Michel GIRAUD-AUDINE   © All Rights Reserved.

Plumbeous Seedeater
Plumbeous Seedeater (Sporophila plumbea whiteleyana) Female
El Oso, Bolivar, Venezuela  
   
Photograph by Fernando Flores     Copyright and usage info

Note dark bill compared to similar species.

Dark-throated Seedeater
Dark-throated Seedeater (Sporophila ruficollis) Male Near Threatened
Porto Jofre, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil  
   
Photograph by Dave Curtis     Copyright and usage info


Slate-colored Seedeater
Slate-colored Seedeater (Sporophila schistacea schistacea) Male
Jaco, Puntarenas, Costa Rica  
   
Photograph by Jorge Obando Gutierrez   © Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved.

Slate-colored Seedeater
Slate-colored Seedeater (Sporophila schistacea longipennis) Female
Zafra Reserva Natural, Antioquia, Colombia  
   
Photograph by Tom Friedel   © All Rights Reserved.

Note white eye-ring compared to very similar Grey Seedeater. Generally a lowland species. Not reliable (wanders), but often found in flocks at bamboo when seeds are present (HBW). Note smaller bill with more curved culmen than Grey Seedeater (hard to be sure about).
Female eating bamboo seed.


© Tom Friedel - All Rights Reserved, except for images and data otherwise noted.       Colombia       Panama       Ecuador       Costa Rica       Mexico
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