The Story
The shot
I photographed this female Chestnut-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila castaneiventris) at La Macarena, Meta, Colombia. It lives in Amazonian South America, from southern Venezuela and southeastern Colombia through eastern Ecuador, eastern Peru and northern Bolivia, across Amazonian Brazil to Amapá and the Guianas. It favors grassy and shrubby open country, including forest clearings, pastures, farmland, lawns and parks, and even floating vegetation on lakes and marshes. It is about 10 centimeters long and weighs about 8 grams. Females are warm sandy brown above and buff below, palest on the belly, while males are blue-gray with a chestnut throat and belly. The Sierra de la Macarena is home to about 420 bird species, along with eight species of primates.
I made this frame with a Pentax K-1 and the HD Pentax-D FA 150-450mm f/4.5-5.6, at 1/640 sec, f/5.6, ISO 800. IUCN lists the Chestnut-bellied Seedeater as Least Concern, with a decreasing population.
©2020 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Chestnut-bellied Seedeater (Sporophila castaneiventris) belongs to the family Thraupidae (Tanagers and Allies) in the eBird/Clements taxonomy.
Source: eBird.org (opens in a new tab)
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List (assessment published 2024), with the population trend listed as stable. Source: IUCN Red List
