Blue Seedeater Amaurospiza concolor

There are several unrelated groups of small birds called “seedeaters.” While all have been considered emberizid “sparrows” in the past, most forms are in fact finch-like tanagers. The one big exemption is the blue seedeater group in the genus Amaurospiza, such as Blue Seedeater. These are in fact in the Cardinalidae, and so are closely related to the Passerina buntings and the Cyanocompsa grosbeaks! In fact the blue coloration of the males and warm brown coloration of the females is not that different from several members of the Cardinalidae, although Amaurospiza is indeed smaller and smaller billed. Blue Seedeater males are uniform blackish with a noticeable blue gloss, while females are warm cinnamon brown and otherwise unmarked. Blue Seedeater is a bamboo specialist. Bamboo seeds irregularly, and when it does, it does so over a large stretch with all plants synchronized. It is this concentrated and easy to find food that the seedeaters are after. Bamboo specialization has evolved independently in various groups of Neotropical birds. Some authors have suggested that the isolated northern subspecies of Blue Seendeater, relicta, of southwestern Mexico, could represent a separate species, Slate-blue Seedeater.