Current view: Data table and detailed info
Taxonomic source(s)
del Hoyo, J., Collar, N.J., Christie, D.A., Elliott, A., Fishpool, L.D.C., Boesman, P. and Kirwan, G.M. 2016. HBW and BirdLife International Illustrated Checklist of the Birds of the World. Volume 2: Passerines. Lynx Edicions and BirdLife International, Barcelona, Spain and Cambridge, UK.
SACC. 2005 and updates. A classification of the bird species of South America. Available at: https://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCBaseline.htm.
IUCN Red List criteria met and history
Red List criteria met
Red List history
| Migratory status |
not a migrant |
Forest dependency |
does not normally occur in forest |
| Land-mass type |
continent
|
Average mass |
- |
Population justification: The species is rare and local. The majority of the population is found breeding in Flor de Oro in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Breeding and several flocks of up to 60-70 birds have been recorded in October-December and several hundred have been estimated in late May, but very few individuals have been found in July-October (S. Davis in litt. 1995, 1999). A population of around six pairs rearing 6-10 juveniles per year occurs near San Ignacio de Velasco, Santa Cruz, in the wet season (S. Davis in litt. 1995, 1999). East of Vila Bela da Santíssima Trindade, Mato Grosso, 55 presumably breeding birds were counted in January 1988 (Willis and Oniki 1990), at least 100 non-breeding condition birds were present in July 1997 (L. F. Silveira in litt. 1999), 100-200 in August 2007, and 100 in June 2008 (Kirwan and Areta 2009).
A local density of 2 individuals/km2 was estimated at Los Fierros, Noel Kempff Mercado, Bolivia, from numbers of adult males seen in August-September (Pearce-Higgins 1996). An extrapolation of this density to the occupied area in Brazil led to a national population estimate of 5,480 mature individuals (ICMBio 2018). Brazil comprises roughly half of the global range. The majority of the population in Brazil appears to be resident birds and non-breeding visitors from Bolivia; consequently, to account for migratory individuals, the global population is assessed as substantially less than double the population in Brazil. It is here tentatively placed in the band 2,500-9,999 mature individuals (see also Willis and Oniki 1990; S. Davis in litt. 1995, 1999; Pearce-Higgins 1996; L. F. Silveira in litt. 1999).The subpopulation structure has not been investigated, but due to its migratory nature the species is tentatively assessed as forming one subpopulation (see also ICMBio 2018).
Trend justification: Extensive tracts of the species's habitat are converted rapidly for agriculture. Its preference for seasonally flooded grassland with scattered bushes and trees and avoidance of converted and disturbed areas make it highly susceptible to the clearance and conversion of these habitats, and therefore the species is inferred to undergo a continuing decline (Ergueta and de Morales 1996; ICMBio 2018; Jaramillo and Sharpe 2020). The rate of decline has not been quantified, but it is unlikely to exceed 20% over ten years.
Country/territory distribution
Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBA)
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Species factsheet: Black-and-tawny Seedeater Sporophila nigrorufa. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/factsheet/black-and-tawny-seedeater-sporophila-nigrorufa on 22/11/2024.
Recommended citation for factsheets for more than one species: BirdLife International (2024) IUCN Red List for birds. Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/species/search on 22/11/2024.
