| Double-collared Seedeater (Sporophila caerulescens) |
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Sporophila caerulescens is one of the most common seedeaters across the southern half of South America. It nests from eastern Bolivia, Mato Grosso, and Minas Gerais to central Argentina. Southernmost populations retreat north during the austral winter (May through November), reaching the Amazon River. This species inhabits edges of fragmented tropical and subtropical forests, savanna, secondary growth, pastures, and old fields; up to 2,100 m. It benefitted from the conversion of native habitats to agricultural lands and the spread of exotic forage grasses. This is a sexually dimorphic species. The male has gray upperparts, a white malar stripe, a black-collared throat, and a black band across the breast; the rest of the underparts are white or less frequently yellow. The female is plain brown, with somewhat darker upperparts. The bill is stout with a rounded culmen; yellowish in the male, and dusky in the female. Length 11-12 cm; weight 7.5-12.5 g. Double-collared Seedeater breeds nearly year round in the north, and from December to May in southeastern Brazil. It nests in trees and shrubs at the forest edge, usually 1-1.2 m above the ground. The nest is a shallow bowl made of grasses and other plant fibers. Three-four clutches a year in the north; 2 eggs per clutch. Incubation lasts 12-13 days, and the young fledge after 12-15 days. Only females incubate, but both parents attend the young. S. caerulescens feeds on seeds of grasses, including rice and various introduced African species; the latter now make the bulk of its ration in areas converted to pastures.
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