The blackish-blue seedeater is a species of bird in the family Cardinalidae, the cardinals or cardinal grosbeaks. It is found in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
Region
South America
Typical Environment
Occurs mainly in the Atlantic Forest and adjacent woodlands of southeastern Brazil, eastern Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina (e.g., Misiones). It favors dense understory, especially stands of native bamboo in humid forest, forest edges, and secondary growth. The species can be locally common where bamboo is abundant but scarce elsewhere. It also uses gallery forests along streams and wooded foothills.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
This bamboo-specialist often keeps to dense thickets, making it more often heard than seen. Males are a striking blackish-blue, while females are plain brown, a strong sexual dimorphism typical of the genus. It may wander locally following sporadic bamboo seeding events, which can make its presence patchy from year to year.
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low through understory
Social Behavior
Usually seen singly or in pairs, sometimes in small family groups. Nests are small cups placed low and well hidden within bamboo clumps. Pairs are territorial during the breeding season and may follow bamboo seeding patches at other times.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a thin, sibilant series of high notes and brief trills delivered from within cover. Calls include sharp tssip or see notes, often given repeatedly when disturbed.
Plumage
Male is uniformly blackish-blue with a slate-blue sheen; female is plain warm brown with paler underparts and a smoother, unpatterned appearance. Feathers are sleek, with little to no barring or wing markings.
Diet
Primarily consumes seeds, with a strong preference for bamboo when available. It also takes small grass and weed seeds and supplements its diet with small insects and other arthropods, especially during breeding. Feeding often intensifies in areas experiencing bamboo masting events.
Preferred Environment
Forages in dense bamboo thickets, forest edges, and regenerating secondary growth. It typically feeds low, hopping along stems and gleaning seeds and small prey from leaves and culms.
