Black-billed Seed-Finch Sporophila atrirostris Scientific name definitions

As noted under the Thick-billed Seed-Finch (O. funereus), this group is in taxonomic flux and may in fact be better considered large billed varieties of Sporophila seedeaters. Within the seed-finches the taxonomy has also been moving about. Some have considered it to be made up of a “Lesser” and a “Greater” species; while here we consider it to be five species. The “Greater” group includes three species, and these are big and rather big-billed. The Black-billed Seed-Finch is part of this group and is well named as the other two species have whitish bills. As is typical of this “Greater” group the bill is big and there is nearly no forehead, the culmen seemingly arising from the fore-crown. Similar to the other relatives the Black-billed Seed-Finch has a black male plumage, and some white at the base of the primaries and on the wing linings although the white on the primary bases is much more restricted on this species and may sometimes be nearly absent. The distribution of this seed-finch is in the mid elevations and foothills east of the Andes, with one population in Ecuador and N Peru; the other in S Peru and N Bolivia.

Editor's Note: This article requires further editing work to merge existing content into the appropriate Subspecies sections. Please bear with us while this update takes place.

Editor's Note: Additional distribution information for this taxon can be found in the 'Subspecies' article above. In the future we will develop a range-wide distribution article.

Alvaro began birding as an 11 year old in Canada, and eventually trained in Evolutionary Ecology studying, creatures as varied as leaf-cutter ants and Argentine cowbirds. But his career has been focused on birding tourism, both as a guide and owner of his tour company, as well as a avitourism consultant to various organizations. He is the author of Birds of Chile, New World Blackbirds: The Icterids, as well as the ABA Field Guide to the birds of California. He lives in Half Moon Bay, California where he is known for his pelagic birding trips. Email: alvaro@alvarosadventures.com.