Blue Seedeater
Amaurospiza concolor
Scarce and very local. A rather plain, easily overlooked, small seed-eating bird. Usually found as singles or pairs in association with seeding bamboo in forested areas, from lowlands to highlands, but mainly in foothills. In most of range the male is dull dark bluish overall (with slightly brighter highlights on shoulder), while the female is rich brown overall. In southwest Mexico, male is paler and more denim-blue; female is grayish brown. Note the grayish bill, which is smaller than bill of Blue Bunting, and subtly different in shape from bill of Varied Bunting. Listen for sharp metallic chips and sweet warbling song.
识别特征
The blue seedeater is 11.5 to 14 cm (4.5 to 5.5 in) long and weighs 12 to 15 g (0.42 to 0.53 oz). The nominate male is entirely slate blue. The female's upperparts are cinnamon and the underparts tawny. The male A. c. relicta is more slaty (less blue) than the nominate and has black lores; the female is a paler cinnamon.<p>The songs and calls have been transcribed in several ways. A song from Chiapas, Mexico, is [1]. One from Panama is [2]. A call from Puebla, Mexico, is [3] and one from Panama is [4].
分类信息
The blue seedeater was formally described in 1861 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis based on a specimen that had been collected in Costa Rica. Cabanis placed the species in a new genus Amaurospiza and coined the binomial name Amaurospiza concolor. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "uniform", "similar in colour" or "plain".<p>The blue seedeater was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Ecuadorian seedeater. Most authorities now treat the Ecuadorian seedeateras a separate species. This is based largely on the results of molecular phylogenetic studies that were published in 2014 and 2023. Confusingly, as of January 2024, BirdLife International uses the scientific name A. moesta for blue seedeater. The BirdLife account encompasses what are now the blue, Ecuadorian, and blackish-blue seedeaters.<p>Two subspecies are recognised:
- 学名
- Amaurospiza concolor
- 命名信息
- Cabanis, 1861
- 目
- Passeriformes
- 科
- Cardinalidae
- 属
- Amaurospiza
分布与栖息地
The nominate blue seedeater is found from Chiapas in southern Mexico through Central America to western and central Panama. A. c. relicta is found in six southwestern Mexico states, Jalisco, Colima, Morelos, Puebla, Guerrero and Oaxaca. The species inhabits openings in and edges of humid montane and secondary forest. It most often is found at sites with bamboo. In northern Central America it ranges in elevation from 600 to 2,500 m (2,000 to 8,200 ft) but in Costa Rica inhabits the narrower range of 1,700 to 2,200 m (5,600 to 7,200 ft).
行为
The blue seedeater's diet includes insects, seeds, and bamboo shoots.<p>The only known blue seedeater nest was found in Mexico. It was a cup of coarse grass lined with finer grass placed in the fork of a slender branch. It contained two seedeater eggs and one of the brood parasite bronzed cowbird (Molothrus aeneus).
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Hainan Leaf Warbler
Phylloscopus hainanus
Beautifully luminous small leaf warbler restricted to the forests of China’s Hainan Island. Bright yellow all over, though darker wings and crown make paler wingbars and eyebrow visible nonetheless. Fairly distinctive in its limited range; Hartert’s Leaf Warbler also has a yellow cast but is duller overall and much larger, with a much more elongated appearance. Song is a short jumble of squeaky high-pitched notes akin to a machine that needs oiling.
Plumbeous-backed Thrush
Turdus reevei
A distinctive thrush restricted to dry forest in western Ecuador and northwestern Peru. Combination of bluish-gray upperparts, pale underparts washed with sandy buff, and white eye is unique in its range. Juvenile is profusely spotted on underparts. Generally stays high in the trees, where it can be quite easy to see. Often gives a whistled “fwee?” in addition to its beautiful song.
Yap Cicadabird
Edolisoma nesiotis
Small cuckooshrike with a restricted range, found only on Yap, which is part of the larger Caroline Islands group in the Federated States of Micronesia. Males are mainly gray with black on the face, wing, and tail. Females brown on the back and rich buff below, with fine scaling. Seemingly only found in good forest. One frequent vocalization is an upslurred whistle. Distinctive within its small range.
开始您的观鸟之旅
在户外识别鸟类，并在下一次观察时随手查阅鸟类图鉴。