Lesser seed-finch

Oryzoborus angolensis

Photo by Dario Sanches (Flickr)

Common name:
lesser seed-finch (en); curió (pt); sporophile curio (fr); semillero curió (es); braunbauch-reisknacker (de)

Taxonomy:
Order Passeriformes
Family Emberizidae

Range:
This species is found in South America, east of the Andes, from Colombia and Venezuela south to Bolivia, eastern Paraguay, southern Brazil and extreme north-eastern Argentina.

Size:
These birds are 10,5-13 cm long and weigh 11,5-16 g.

Habitat:
The lesser seed-finch is found in moist tropical forests and scrublands, particularly in forest clearing and along forests edges, also using second growths. They are present from sea level up to an altitude of 1.500 m.

Diet:
They feed on grass seeds and insects, being known to glean grass seeds directly from the stems.

Breeding:
Lesser seed-finches can breed all year round, varying among different parts of their range. The nest is a deep cup made of fine grasses, where the female lays 1-3 greenish-white eggs with brown spots. The eggs are incubated are incubated for 12-13 days and the chicks fledge about 30 days after hatching. They reach sexual maturity at 1 year of age.

Conservation:
IUCN status - LC (Least Concern)
This species has an extremely large breeding range and is described as common. The population is suspected to be increasing as ongoing habitat degradation is creating new areas of suitable habitat.