The plumbeous seedeater is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. Its natural habitats are dry savanna and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland.
Region
Northern and central South America
Typical Environment
Occurs widely from the Guianas and Venezuela south through Brazil, eastern Bolivia, Paraguay, and into northern Argentina. It favors dry savannas, seasonal wetlands, and open, weedy fields with abundant seeding grasses. Often uses seasonally flooded lowland grasslands and edges of the Cerrado and Pantanal regions. It adapts to disturbed habitats such as road verges, pastures, and agricultural margins where grass seeds are plentiful.
Altitude Range
0–1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The plumbeous seedeater is a small tanager of open grasslands and savannas, often perching on tall grass stems while singing. Males are strikingly uniform slate-gray, while females are warm brown and more cryptic. It often forms loose flocks outside the breeding season and can appear in recently burned or disturbed grassy areas where seed is abundant.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with brief undulations
Social Behavior
Forms small flocks or loose aggregations outside the breeding season, often mixing with other seedeaters. During breeding, males sing from exposed perches and defend small territories. Nests are small open cups placed low in grasses or shrubs, with both parents attending the young.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Male’s song is a bright, tinkling series of buzzy and sweet notes delivered from a high perch. Calls include sharp chips and thin tseet notes used to keep contact within flocks.
Plumage
Male is uniform slate- to bluish-plumbeous gray with darker wings and tail and minimal patterning; female is warm buffy-brown above with paler underparts and subtle facial paling. Feathers are smooth and unspotted, with slight pale edging on wing coverts at times. Overall appearance is plain and clean, emphasizing the stout seed-cracking bill.
Diet
Feeds primarily on grass and sedge seeds, including those of weedy species that colonize disturbed ground. It takes seeds directly from seed heads and also forages on the ground for fallen grains. In the breeding season it may supplement the diet with small arthropods for nestlings.
Preferred Environment
Forages in open savannas, weedy fields, road edges, and seasonally flooded grasslands where seeding grasses are abundant. Often uses recently burned or grazed areas where seed heads are accessible.
