Birds of the World
 - Copper Seedeater
 - Copper Seedeater
+3
 - Copper Seedeater
Watch
 - Copper Seedeater
Listen

Copper Seedeater Sporophila bouvreuil Scientific name definitions

Alvaro Jaramillo and Guy M. Kirwan
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated September 21, 2019

Sign in to see your badges

Introduction

Principally a bird of cerrado regions, being less tolerant of substandard habitats than some other open-country seedeaters, this Sporophila is very distinctive in male plumage, which is mostly cinnamon-colored with a contrasting black crown, wings, and tail, with a white wing speculum. Especially in the non-breeding season, the species frequently consorts with other congenerics, which sometimes form very large flocks in suitable habitat. Widespread over eastern South America, from Suriname locally south to northeast Argentina and eastern Paraguay, the Capped Seedeater has traditionally been considered to comprise four subspecies, but the results of a recent study suggest that it might be better to treat the complex as two species, one with rather paler body plumage, and the other with deep cinnamon feathering. Vernacular names for the two species have yet to be suggested.

Field Identification

9·5–10 cm. Typical seedeater, tiny and with thick bill approximately as long as it is deep, with distinctly rounded culmen. Male has clean-cut black cap reaching down to level of eye, contrasting cinnamon face and nape, with similar cinnamon colour on throat and entire underparts, except black thighs; cinnamon of nape continues to uppertail-coverts; tail and upperwing contrastingly blackish, wing-coverts and tertials fringed cinnamon-brown to whitish (creating pale wing­panel, in fresh plumage), noticeable white at base of primaries (forming rectangular white patch on folded wing); iris dark brown; bill and legs blackish. Female is dull olive-brown above and ochre-buff below, becoming whitish on belly; bare parts as for male. Juvenile resembles female.

Systematics History

See S. castaneiventris for links of present species to a S clade of “capped” Sporophila, within which relationships are hard to determine, as genetic differentiation very low and species apparently part of a recent and rapid radiation, but present species lies outwith this core radiation (1, 2). Until recently considered conspecific with S. pileata, and study that overturned this view also showed that races saturata and crypta, recognized in HBW, are invalid (3). Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

S Suriname and French Guiana; E Brazil at mouth of R Amazon and from Maranhão E to Rio Grande do Norte, S to S Mato Grosso, S Goiás, NE São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro (recorded also in NW Mato Grosso, N Rondônia and SE Amazonas) (4).

Habitat

Open cerrado, savannas and tall-grass (old) grasslands; sea-level to c. 600 m in breeding season, almost certainly higher in non-breeding period.

Movement

Resident in most of range. Abundance in a given area increases when grass in seed.

Diet and Foraging

Diet of grass seeds. Forages usually by clinging to grass stem and extracting seeds, but also on ground. Generally in pairs during breeding season, but sometimes joins with other members of genus, e.g. S. caerulescens, and Volatinia jacarina; may forage in small flocks during non-breeding season.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Classic song a series of sweet whistles that fall in pitch, “twee tweeta cheew tweeta phwee”, phrases containing pleasant and nicely resonating whistles; another song type described as long, hurried, with varied notes, and tempo of siskin (Carduelis); may incorporate mimicry in song. Call a strident “tslit” or a two-note “ewt-eet”.

Breeding

No information.

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Generally common to abundant in N part of range; uncommon in S. Has large range and is relatively numerous. Just one record in French Guiana (Nov 2006), but an escaped cagebird might have been involved, and a single undocumented record of an adult male in Bolivia (Santa Cruz). Small populations recently discovered in cerrados of N Rondônia and extreme SE Amazonas state in Brazil. Much of this species’ habitat is being burnt, being converted to the growing of soybean or sunflowers, or being overgrazed, and populations therefore likely to be declining.

About the Author(s)

Alvaro began birding as an 11 year old in Canada, and eventually trained in Evolutionary Ecology studying, creatures as varied as leaf-cutter ants and Argentine cowbirds. But his career has been focused on birding tourism, both as a guide and owner of his tour company, as well as a avitourism consultant to various organizations. He is the author of Birds of Chile, New World Blackbirds: The Icterids, as well as the ABA Field Guide to the birds of California. He lives in Half Moon Bay, California where he is known for his pelagic birding trips. Email: alvaro@alvarosadventures.com.

Distribution of the Copper Seedeater - Range Map
Enlarge
  • Year-round
  • Migration
  • Breeding
  • Non-Breeding
Distribution of the Copper Seedeater

Recommended Citation

Jaramillo, A. and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Copper Seedeater (Sporophila bouvreuil), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (J. del Hoyo, A. Elliott, J. Sargatal, D. A. Christie, and E. de Juana, Editors). Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, USA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.capsee1.01
Birds of the World

Partnerships

A global alliance of nature organizations working to document the natural history of all bird species at an unprecedented scale.