The Story
This male Gray Seedeater (Sporophila intermedia) perched on a curved stem near San Pablo de Borbur, in Boyacá, Colombia, its soft gray plumage set off by a pale bill. Seedeaters like this one feed mainly on grass seeds, especially from Panicum grasses, and also take small arthropods and nectar. Its nest is a cup made from rootlets and coarse plant fibers, lined with finer fibers, and it is found in Brazil, Colombia, Guyana and Venezuela.
I used a Canon R5 with the RF 800mm f/11 plus the RF 1.4x extender for this one, at 1/60 sec, f/16, ISO 400, −1 EV. Near town, the Fura and Tena hills are promoted for hiking and birdwatching, and a local association runs ecological tourism there built around their ancestral legend.
©2024 Adam Rainoff Photographer
The bird
The Gray Seedeater (Sporophila intermedia) 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