Catamenia analis
The Band-tailed Seedeater, *Catamenia analis*, is a charming and widespread passerine bird belonging to the Thraupidae family, despite its finch-like appearance. Males are strikingly sexually dimorphic, showcasing a sleek dark slate-gray to blackish plumage on the upperparts, starkly contrasting with a clean white belly and rich chestnut flanks. A distinctive, though often concealed, field mark is the crisp white band across the base of its otherwise dark tail, best seen in flight or during d...
Found in open, semi-arid and humid high-altitude scrub, bushy slopes, montane grasslands, forest edges, and often in disturbed agricultural areas from 1,500m to 4,000m (5,000ft to 13,000ft).
Primarily granivorous, feeding on small seeds from a variety of grasses and forbs, supplemented by a small number of insects, gleaned directly from vegetation or the ground.
Diurnal in activity, Band-tailed Seedeaters forage solitarily or in small, loose flocks, frequently joining mixed-species groups outside the breeding season. They primarily glean small seeds from the ground or directly from grass heads and low shrubs, occasionally supplementing their diet with in...
The Band-tailed Seedeater boasts a wide distribution across the Andes mountain range in South America, extending from extreme western Venezuela and Colombia, south through Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, ultimately reaching central Chile and northwestern Argentina. It maintains a resident presence th...
Least Concern
- The scientific name *Catamenia analis* refers to the distinct white patch on its undertail coverts, which is often visible even when the full white tail band is not. - Despite its "seedeater" name and finch-like appearance, the Band-tailed Seedeater is actually classified within the tanager fam...