Variable Seedeater
Sporophila corvina
Also known as: Black Seedeater, Black-Breasted Seedeater
About This Species
Check weedy field edges, roadside scrub, and overgrown clearings for small, active finches picking seeds from grass heads, often in loose mixed flocks with other seedeaters. Males show bold black-and-white or dark plumage depending on region, while females are a plainer olive-brown, so patient watching helps separate the sexes. Activity peaks in the cooler, drier parts of the day, and seed-bearing grasses in seeding season draw the largest numbers.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- A slow approach along field margins, pausing well back from a feeding flock, generally allows longer views than walking directly toward the birds, which tend to flush into dense cover.
- Wildlife protection rules for common songbirds vary across its Central and South American range, so it is worth checking local regulations, particularly regarding trapping, which remains a threat to seedeaters in parts of the region.
- Avoiding repeated flushing of the same flock lets birds return to feeding more quickly.
LCAvesPasseriformesThraupidae
Seasonal Activity
321,052 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Passeriformes
- Family
- Thraupidae
Photo
Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
CC-BY-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.