Explore Taxonomy
Order
Passeriformes
Family
Thraupidae
Genus
Sporophila
Surprise Me
Previous Copper Seedeater
Next Tawny-bellied Seedeater
- Pearly-bellied Seedeater
© Aves-del-Taragüí/ SabinaDeLucca
- Pearly-bellied Seedeater
- Pearly-bellied Seedeater
+4
- Pearly-bellied Seedeater
- Pearly-bellied Seedeater
- Pearly-bellied Seedeater
- Pearly-bellied Seedeater
- Pearly-bellied Seedeater
Watch
- Pearly-bellied Seedeater
Listen

Pearly-bellied Seedeater Sporophila pileata Scientific name definitions

Josep del Hoyo, Nigel Collar, and Guy M. Kirwan
Version: 1.0 — Published March 4, 2020
Text last updated September 21, 2019

Sign in to see your badges

Originally Appeared in

HBW Alive

Field Identification

10 cm; 7·6–10 g. Typical seedeater, tiny and with thick bill approximately as long as it is deep, with distinctly rounded culmen. Male breeding has clean-cut black cap reaching down to level of eye, contrasting off-white to face and more greyish-pink nape, with similar pale-coloured throat and upper breast, while entire rest of underparts, except blackish thighs, are creamy or pale pinkish salmon; greyish pink of nape continues to uppertail-coverts, or this area is more greyish brown or even rusty brown; tail and upperwing contrastingly blackish, wing-coverts and tertials fringed very pale cinnamon-brown (creating cinnamon 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 male. Adult male non-breeding resembles adult female but has larger white wing patch and a yellowish bill, but colour changes are less noticeable in older birds. Juvenile resembles female, first-year male paler still, almost whitish below, and has paler bill including yellowish base to mandible.

Systematics History

Until recently considered conspecific with S. bouvreuil, but detailed mapping has demonstrated a considerable area of sympatry (1) while subsequent genetic analysis has determined that bouvreuil is probably sister to the “S capuchino” clade within which present species sits (2); intriguingly, however, no obvious vocal differences have been identified in available recordings, although more recent study indicates such differences while confirming a modest genetic distinctiveness in bouvreuil but not between present species and four other “capuchinos” investigated (see S. hypoxantha). Monotypic.

Subspecies

Monotypic.

Distribution

S Brazil (E Mato Grosso, Goiás and SW Minas Gerais) S through E Paraguay to NE Argentina (Corrientes and Misiones) (3), locally to N Uruguay; also recorded in Bolivia (Santa Cruz).

Habitat

Open cerrado, savannas, tall-grass (old) grasslands and lightly grazed pastures; sea-level to at least 1200 m.

Movement

Resident in most of range. Migratory in S part of range; many or most of those in Argentina, Uruguay and extreme S Brazil retreat N from late Feb, returning in Nov; recorded during austral winter as far N as S Tocantins. 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, much less frequently on ground. Generally in pairs during breeding season, but frequently joins with other members of genus, especially at other times of year, sometimes forming large mixed-species flocks, often including other so-called “caboclinhos”.

Sounds and Vocal Behavior

Vocalizations not well studied to date, but no differences have been identified between this species and the formerly conspecific S. bouvreuil.

Breeding

Birds in breeding condition in late Jan in Rio Grande do Sul (extreme S Brazil). A recent study conducted between Nov and Mar in two areas of São Paulo state located a total of 83 nests, all constructed in herbaceous plants, such as Eupatorium sp. (Asteraceae), Achyrocline satureioides (Asteraceae), A. alata (Asteraceae), Hydrolea spinosa (Hydroleaceae) and Tibouchina herbacea (Melastomataceae), within open marshland, sited 15–73 cm above water or humid ground. Nests were all deep open cups constructed of grass stems, inflorescences and rootlets, attached to 2–3 branchlets using spider web, adorned externally with dry leaves and lined internally with finer grass stems (e.g. Eragrostis sp.).; they measured 50·4–70·8 mm outside diameter, 33–62·4 mm outside height, 31·5–48·4 mm internal diameter, and 30·4–44·5 mm internal depth. Clutch 1–3 eggs (typically two), white, greyish or greenish ground colour with black and brown spots concentrated at the large end, size 14·7–18·3 mm × 11·6–12·8 m, mass 1–1·4 g; incubation and nestlings periods unknown, but nestlings have dark red skin and are covered with sparse grey down; bill yellow, with swollen white flanges and bright red mouth lining. No further information.

Conservation Status

Conservation status on Birdlife LC Least Concern

Not globally threatened (Least Concern). Generally fairly common over most of range. Has large range and is relatively numerous. 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.

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

eBird and Macaulay Library

Recommended Citation

del Hoyo, J., N. Collar, and G. M. Kirwan (2020). Pearly-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila pileata), 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.pebsee1.01
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.

American Ornithological Society American Ornithilogical Society Armonia Bolivia Aves Argentinas Avibase Aves Uruguay Birds Caribbean Bird Count India Conservación de Islas Corbidi Fundación Ñankulafkén Instituto Humboldt Lynx Edicions Oikonos Oriental Bird Club Ornithological Society Of The Middle East The Caucasus And Central Asia RED DE OBSERVADORES DE AVES Y VIDA SILVESTRE DE CHILE Roberts Birds Save Brasil Taiwan Biodiversity Research Institute Union Venezolana De Ornitologos