White-throated Seedeater - BirdForum Opus

Photo by Francisco Paludo
Sítio Pau Preto, Potengi, Ceará, Brazil, July 2017

Sporophila albogularis

Identification

11 cm (4¼ in). A typical seedeater with a deep-based and thickly rounded bill.

Male

• Blackish crown and face
• Dark greyish upperparts with darker blackish-grey tail and upperwing
• White flash at bases of primaries
• White throat and malar region, extending as half-collar to side of neck below ear-coverts and creating strong contrast with blackish face
• Prominent blackish breastband
• Whitish rest of underparts, greyish on side of breast and with grey wash on flanks
• Orange-yellow to orange-pink bill

Female

• Nondescript plumage
• Warm buffy brown on crown, nape and upperparts
• Buff-brown wings and tail
• Warm buff-brown breast
• Whitish throat
• Darker brown extending to flanks contrasting with whitish belly and vent
• Dusky bill

Juveniles resemble females.

Similar species

The similar Double-collared Seedeater has a black throat, olive-grey (rather than greyish) upperparts and a less bright bill.

Distribution

Northeastern Brazil from Piauí east to Pernambuco and south to northern Bahia.
Locally fairly common. Often kept in captivity.

Taxonomy

This is a monotypic species.
Probably closely related to Double-collared Seedeater.

Habitat

Dry shrubland and forests, preferably Caatinga scrub in moister areas.
Occurs from 500 to 1200 m.

Behaviour

Diet

Feeds on grass seeds.
Forages on the ground, outside the breeding period in small groups.

Breeding

Breeds up to four times per season. The nest is a cup made of dry grass roots and spider webs. It's placed low down in shrub. Lays 2 to 3 eggs.

Movements

Probably a resident species.

Reference

1. Clements, J. F., T. S. Schulenberg, M. J. Iliff, D. Roberson, T. A. Fredericks, B. L. Sullivan, and C. L. Wood. 2017. The eBird/Clements checklist of birds of the world: v2017, with updates to August 2017. Downloaded from http://www.birds.cornell.edu/clementschecklist/download/
2. Gill, F and D Donsker (Eds). 2015. IOC World Bird Names (version 5.2). Available at http://www.worldbirdnames.org/.
3. Handbook of the Birds of the World Alive (retrieved May 2015)

• List of references

Recommended Citation

• BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) White-throated Seedeater. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 10 November 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/White-throated_Seedeater

External Links

Search for photos of White-throated Seedeater in the gallery