Double-collared seedeater

Sporophila caerulescens

Photo by Dario Sanches (Wikipedia)

Common name:
double-collared seedeater (en); coleirinho (pt); sporophile à col double (fr); corbatita común (es); schmuckpfäffchen (de)


Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Emberizidae


Range:
This South American species is found in the throughout the southern half of Brazil and in Bolivia, Peru, northern Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.


Size:
These birds are 10 cm long and weigh around 10 g.


Habitat:
The souble-collared seedeater is mostly found in moist scrublands, but also in degraded patches of former forest, pastures, rural gardens and arable land. They are often found in rice paddies. This species occurs from sea level up to an altitude of 2.100 m.


Diet:
They mainly eat grass seeds, often taking rice seeds from rice plantations. They also eat fruits.


Breeding:
Double-collared seedeaters breed in October-May. The nest is a shallow cup made of grasses, rootlets and other plant fibres, placed in a tree or scrub a few metres above the ground. The female lays 2 eggs, which she incubates alone for 12 days. The chicks are fed by both parents and fledge 12-15 days after hatching.


Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has a very large breeding range and is described as common. The population is suspected to be increasing as ongoing habitat degradation is creating new areas of suitable habitat.