Creatures in Crisis
Photograph of Great-billed seed finch (Sporophila maximiliani), recorded as Endangered
Great-billed seed finch (Sporophila maximiliani). Image via Wikimedia Commons.

Endangered

Great-billed seed finch

Sporophila maximiliani

Great-billed seed finch is a perching bird in the family Thraupidae (order Passeriformes) — Sporophila maximiliani, recorded as Endangered.

Status
Endangered
Scientific name
Sporophila maximiliani
Taxonomy
Aves · Passeriformes · Thraupidae · Sporophila

Appearance

The beak volume is about 840mm³. The males are black with white or white and black under wing-coverts. The females have a warm brown back and a buffy brown belly with white under wing-coverts.

It is a medium-sized finch at around 14.5–16.5 cm (5.7–6.5 in) in length. Due to their similarity with other species, sexual dimorphism, and juvenile appearance, great-billed seed finches can be very difficult to identify morphologically.

Range and habitat

The southern population is found in the Cerrado and in the Cerrado enclaves into the transition zones in Atlantic Forest. The northern population is found in the northern Amazon rainforest. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, swamps, and heavily degraded former forest.

Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.

Breeding

Breeding season generally begins around November or December during spring and summer in central and southern Brazil and extends until the end of February or early March. Breeding in the great-billed seed finch is stimulated by the first torrential rains of spring.

During breeding season, the seed finch is especially territorial and aggressive.

In crisis

Although the population is quickly declining due to trapping and loss of habitat, not much is known about its behavior and ecology.

Great-billed seed finch is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.

Sources

Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Great-billed seed finch, Wikidata item Q28867706. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons. Wikipedia · Wikidata · IUCN Red List.

Same genus

Photograph of Marsh Seedeater (Sporophila palustris), recorded as EndangeredEN

Marsh Seedeater

Sporophila palustris
Photograph of Vaquita (Phocoena sinus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Vaquita

Phocoena sinus
Photograph of Javan rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Javan rhinoceros

Rhinoceros sondaicus
Photograph of Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii), recorded as Critically EndangeredCR

Sumatran orangutan

Pongo abelii

Quick answers

What is Great-billed seed finch?
Great-billed seed finch is a perching bird in the family Thraupidae (order Passeriformes) — Sporophila maximiliani.
What is the conservation status of Great-billed seed finch?
Endangered, as the IUCN category stored on Wikidata for Sporophila maximiliani. Confirm the official assessment on iucnredlist.org.
Where does Great-billed seed finch live?
The southern population is found in the Cerrado and in the Cerrado enclaves into the transition zones in Atlantic Forest.
Why is Great-billed seed finch in crisis?
Although the population is quickly declining due to trapping and loss of habitat, not much is known about its behavior and ecology.
Is this the IUCN Red List page for Sporophila maximiliani?
No. This is a researched catalog account. The Red List is the assessment.
Is Great-billed seed finch a pet?
An animal on this catalog is in crisis in the wild. Keeping one is usually the wrong question.