Lesser Seed-finch (Oryzoborus angolensis)
(aka Thick-billed or Chestnut-bellied Seed-finch)
Male Lesser Seed-finch, Caseara, Tocantins, Brazil, January 2002 - click for larger image Brazil

The Lesser Seed-finch is found from northern Colombia to south-east Brazil. The subspecies found west of the Andes in Colombia and Ecuador, O. a. funereus, is all black, is usually called the Thick-billed Seedeater and might be considered a seperate species were it not for the existence of intermediate types and a uniformity of voice.

Female Lesser Seed-finch, Caracaraí, Roraima, Brazil, July 2001 - click for larger image The male found elsewhere is black apart from its chestnut breast and belly. The underwings are white and you can usually see a small white speculum. The female is brown with a heavy black bill, white under the wings but without a white speculum.

It inhabits the edges of woods and marshes where it can find the seeds on which it feeds.

The male often sings from an exposed perch and the song is a long melodious series of whistled notes. This feature has made the species one of the most highly prized songbirds in Brazil and, while many cage birds are bred from captive stock, it remains highly sought after in the wild for the caged bird trade. You can hear a Jacques Vieillard recording at the Brazilian Environment Ministry website.

There are illustrations in Ridgely & Tudor, Volume 1, Plate 25; Hilty & Brown, Plate 56 and Ridgely & Greenfield, Plate 92.
Previous Page Back to Index Next Page
If you do not see a menu on the left, you may have arrived at this page from another site. Please click Home to get to my main page.