Sporophila corvina
The Variable Seedeater (Sporophila corvina) is a small, sexually dimorphic passerine bird belonging to the tanager family (Thraupidae), though sometimes still placed with the New World sparrows. Males are strikingly glossy black, typically with a distinct white speculum (wing patch) on the primaries, measuring about 10-11 cm (4.0-4.3 in) in length and weighing 8.5-12 grams. Females, in stark contrast, are a plain olive-brown above and paler buffy-brown below, lacking any bold markings, making...
Found in open, semi-open areas, overgrown pastures, forest edges, clearings, gardens, and often near water sources, typically at low to mid-elevations below 1500m.
Primarily granivorous, feeding on small grass seeds (e.g., Panicum, Paspalum) and various weed seeds. Supplements its diet with small insects, such as caterpillars, ants, and flies.
Variable Seedeaters are diurnal, spending much of their day foraging. They primarily feed on seeds, adeptly stripping them from grass heads while clinging to stalks or foraging on the ground. Males are highly territorial during the breeding season, singing conspicuously from elevated perches to a...
The Variable Seedeater has a wide distribution, extending from southern Veracruz and Oaxaca in Mexico, south through the Caribbean slope of Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama), and continuing into northern South America. Its range encompasses northern Colo...
Least Concern
- The 'Variable' in its name refers to the significant plumage differences among males of its various subspecies, which were once considered separate species. - Males and females are so different in appearance that they look like entirely different bird species, an example of extreme sexual dimor...