The paramo seedeater is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae.
Region
Northern Andes
Typical Environment
Occurs in high-elevation páramo and upper montane scrub from the Andes of Venezuela through Colombia and Ecuador to northern Peru. It favors open grasslands with scattered shrubs, Espeletia stands, and edges of Polylepis or elfin woodland. Often found along road cuts, boggy meadows, and disturbed grassy slopes near treeline. It can use lightly grazed pastures and fallow fields adjacent to natural páramo. Local movements may track seeding grasses and seasonal weather shifts.
Altitude Range
3000–4500 m
Climate Zone
Highland
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The Páramo seedeater is a high-Andean tanager specialized for life in windswept páramo grasslands above treeline. It forages low in grasses and shrubs, cracking tough seeds with its stout bill but also taking small insects when available. Males are generally darker and more slate-toned, while females are browner and subtler. Its presence is closely tied to intact páramo habitats, making it a useful indicator of ecosystem health.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with low, undulating flights over grass
Social Behavior
Typically seen in pairs during the breeding season and in small loose flocks at other times, sometimes joining mixed-species foraging groups in open scrub. Nests are low and well concealed in shrubs or dense grasses. Pairs are territorial around nest sites but tolerant when feeding in rich seed patches.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Song is a light, tinkling series of high-pitched notes and soft trills delivered from a low perch or shrub top. Calls are thin tsip or tsee notes used to keep contact in blustery páramo conditions.
Plumage
Fairly plain, uniform seedeater with smooth, non-streaked appearance; males are darker slate-gray to dusky, females are warmer brown with slightly paler underparts. Plumage lacks bold wing bars or tail bands, giving an overall even-toned look. Under-tail coverts can show faint cinnamon tones, and edges of feathers may be subtly buffy.
Diet
Primarily eats seeds of páramo grasses and herbaceous plants, using its stout bill to husk and crack them efficiently. Supplements diet with small arthropods, especially during the breeding season. Will take composite flower seeds and occasionally tender buds.
Preferred Environment
Feeds low to the ground in grass tussocks, along path edges, and within shrubby patches. Also forages on seed heads of Espeletia and other páramo plants, and at the margins of bogs and wet meadows.
