Temminck's seedeater is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae.
Region
Atlantic Forest, eastern Brazil
Typical Environment
Found patchily through the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, especially in forest edges, secondary growth, restinga scrub, and bamboo-dominated thickets. It frequents clearings, overgrown pastures, and shrublands near forest. During bamboo mast years it can appear locally common where seeding stands occur. It also uses riverine thickets and young regenerating forest. Human-modified landscapes with dense weedy grasses are occasionally used.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1200 m
Climate Zone
Subtropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 2/5
Temminck's seedeater is a small South American tanager closely tied to seeding events of bamboo in the Atlantic Forest. Its slightly decurved, stout bill is adapted to cracking tough grass and bamboo seeds. Habitat loss and fragmentation have reduced its populations, and it can wander seasonally to track food. It is named after the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck.
Temperament
social and active
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with bounding arcs
Social Behavior
Often in pairs or small flocks outside the breeding season, sometimes aggregating where bamboo seeds are abundant. Males sing from exposed perches during breeding and defend small territories. The nest is a small cup placed low in shrubs or grasses, with typically 2–3 eggs.
Migratory Pattern
Partial migrant
Song Description
The song is a series of thin, tinkling trills and buzzy phrases, delivered persistently from a perch. Calls are sharp, high-pitched tsip notes used to keep contact within flocks.
Plumage
Compact seedeater with a thick, slightly decurved conical bill. Males show contrasting dark upperparts and head with a pale throat/collar and paler underparts; females are warm brown, plainer with subtle streaking and a lighter throat. Both sexes have neat, smooth plumage and an overall clean, uncluttered pattern typical of Sporophila.
Diet
Primarily eats seeds of grasses and bamboo, using its strong bill to husk and crack them efficiently. It gleans seeds directly from seed heads and also picks fallen seeds from the ground. During bamboo mast events, it concentrates in seeding stands and can become locally numerous.
Preferred Environment
Feeds in forest edges, weedy clearings, and bamboo thickets, often low to the ground or within dense herbaceous cover. It also forages along roadsides and in overgrown pastures where grasses are abundant.
