Yellow-bellied seedeater

The yellow-bellied seedeater (Sporophila nigricollis) is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae, formerly placed with the American sparrows in the Emberizidae.

Yellow-bellied seedeater
Male in Ecuador
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Thraupidae
Genus: Sporophila
Species:
S. nigricollis
Binomial name
Sporophila nigricollis
(Vieillot, 1823)
Synonyms
  • Sporophila melanops (Pelzeln, 1870)

Taxonomy and systematics

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Hooded seedeater

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The hooded seedeater was a proposed bird species described by Austrian ornithologist August von Pelzeln as Spermophila melanops in 1870. The only known individual was heavily moulted and caught in October 1823 from a flock of other seedeater species at the edge of a lake 15 kilometres north of Registro do Araguaia, Brazil. It is now considered to be either a hybrid or an abnormal specimen of the yellow-bellied seedeater. The bird had a black crest and throat, the upperparts were olive and the underparts showed a dingy buff. In contrast, a typical yellow-bellied seedeater has pale yellow underparts and the black colouring extends to the upper breast.

Distribution and habitat

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The yellow-bellied seedeater is found in Central and South America from Costa Rica to Bolivia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland, pastureland, and heavily degraded former forest.

Threats

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One study in Brazil, estimated that 16,800 yellow-bellied seedeaters are illegally caught and sold as pets annually.[2]

References

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  1. ^ BirdLife International (2016). "Sporophila nigricollis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T105963139A94817710. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T105963139A94817710.en. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  2. ^ Regueira, R. F. S., & Bernard, E. (2012). Wildlife sinks: Quantifying the impact of illegal bird trade in street markets in Brazil. Biological Conservation, 149(1), 16-22.