Yellow-bellied seedeater

Theyellow-bellied seedeater(Sporophila nigricollis) is a species ofbirdin the familyThraupidae,formerly placed with theAmerican sparrowsin theEmberizidae.

Yellow-bellied seedeater
Male in Ecuador
Conservation status
Least Concern(IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Passeriformes
Family:	Thraupidae
Genus:	Sporophila
Species:	S. nigricollis
Binomial name
Sporophila nigricollis (Vieillot,1823)
Synonyms
Sporophila melanops(Pelzeln, 1870)

Taxonomy and systematics

Hooded seedeater

Thehooded seedeaterwas a proposed bird species described by Austrian ornithologistAugust von PelzelnasSpermophila melanopsin 1870. The only known individual was heavily moulted and caught in October 1823 from a flock of other seedeater species at the edge of a lake 15 kilometres north of Registro do Araguaia, Brazil. It is now considered to be either a hybrid or an abnormal specimen of the yellow-bellied seedeater. The bird had a black crest and throat, the upperparts were olive and the underparts showed a dingy buff. In contrast, a typical yellow-bellied seedeater has pale yellow underparts and the black colouring extends to the upper breast.

Distribution and habitat

The yellow-bellied seedeater is found in Central and South America from Costa Rica to Bolivia. Its naturalhabitatsare subtropical or tropical high-altitudeshrubland,pastureland, and heavily degraded former forest.

Threats

One study in Brazil, estimated that 16,800 yellow-bellied seedeaters are illegally caught and sold as pets annually.