Chestnut-bellied seed finch facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chestnut-bellied seed finch |
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Sporophila
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| Species: |
angolensis
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The chestnut-bellied seed finch (Sporophila angolensis) is a small, interesting bird. It belongs to the Thraupidae family, which includes many colorful tanagers and finches. Before, it was thought to be part of the Emberizidae family, which are mostly sparrows and buntings.
You can find this bird in many places across tropical and subtropical South America. It loves areas with shrubs and tall grass. In places west of the Andes mountains and in Central America, you'll find its close relative, the thick-billed seed finch (S. funerea). These two birds look so similar that they were once considered the same species, called the "lesser seed-finch."
About Its Name
The chestnut-bellied seed finch got its official name from a famous Swedish scientist named Carl Linnaeus in 1766. He named it Loxia angolensis. Linnaeus based his description on drawings and notes from an English naturalist, George Edwards. Edwards had seen a live bird that belonged to a lawyer named Philip Carteret Webb.
Edwards thought the bird came from Angola, a country in Africa. But it turns out the chestnut-bellied seed finch doesn't live there! Scientists later figured out its true home is in eastern Brazil.
For a long time, this bird and the thick-billed seed finch were thought to be the same species. They were both called "lesser seed-finch" and placed in a group called Oryzoborus. However, modern studies, which looked at the birds' DNA, showed that Oryzoborus birds actually fit better within the Sporophila group. So, the chestnut-bellied seed finch was moved to the Sporophila genus, which was first named by a German bird expert, Jean Cabanis, in 1844.
Where It Lives: Different Types
Scientists recognize two main types, or subspecies, of the chestnut-bellied seed finch:
- S. a. torrida (named by Scopoli in 1769) – You can find this type in Trinidad, Tobago, eastern Colombia, Venezuela, the Guianas, and the northern and western parts of the Amazon rainforest.
- S. a. angolensis (named by Linnaeus in 1766) – This type lives from northern Bolivia all the way to eastern Brazil, Paraguay, and northeastern Argentina.
