The chestnut-bellied seedeater is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist shrubland and heavily degraded former forest.
Region
Amazon Basin and the Guianas
Typical Environment
This species occurs across northern South America including much of the Amazon Basin and the Guianas, reaching parts of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and northern Brazil. It favors shrublands, tall weedy fields, river islands, and forest edges, especially in areas recovering from disturbance. It also uses seasonally flooded grasslands and the margins of wetlands where seed-producing grasses are abundant. In human-altered landscapes it can persist in degraded former forest with dense undergrowth. It is typically most numerous in open, brushy mosaics near water.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Males show a striking contrast of dark upperparts with a rich chestnut belly, while females are plain brown and easily confused with other female seedeaters. It frequents shrubby second growth, river islands, and degraded forest edges, often benefiting from early successional habitats. Like several Sporophila, it may be trapped locally for the cage-bird trade, though it remains widespread. Its simple, high-pitched song helps distinguish it from similar species where ranges overlap.
Temperament
discreet but perches conspicuously to sing
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats
Social Behavior
Outside the breeding season it often joins small flocks or mixed seedeater groups in weedy fields. During breeding, pairs are territorial, with the male singing from exposed perches. Nests are small open cups placed low in shrubs or tall grasses, and both parents may attend the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A simple, high-pitched series of thin tinkling notes and short trills delivered from an exposed perch. Calls include sharp tsip notes used in contact and alarm.
Plumage
Male with dark slate to blackish head and upperparts contrasting with a rich chestnut belly and lower breast; female is warm brown above with paler buffy underparts and minimal contrast.
Diet
Primarily granivorous, taking seeds of grasses and other herbaceous plants by husking them with its stout bill. It also consumes seedheads of sedges and weedy composites. Occasionally it supplements its diet with small insects, especially during the breeding season.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in tall grass, weedy clearings, river islands, and shrub thickets, often near wetlands or along river margins. It forages by clinging to seedheads and gleaning seeds, and sometimes drops to the ground to pick fallen seeds.
