Fun Cinnamon-rumped Seedeater Facts For Kids

Arpitha Rajendra
Oct 20, 2022 By Arpitha Rajendra
Originally Published on Sep 02, 2021
Edited by Katherine Cook
Read some amazing cinnamon-rumped seedeater facts here.
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 6.3 Min

The cinnamon-rumped seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) is a seedeater bird species of the Thraupidae family. This bird was one of the two subspecies that were split from the white-collared seedeater in 2018. The other subspecies of white-collared seedeater bird is now called the Morelet's seedeater. It was genetically proved that this seedeater bird is more related to the genus Sporophila than to Morelet's seedeater bird. The two subspecies of Sporophila torqueola are S. t. atriceps and S. t. torqueola. Sporophila is a neotropical genus. There are 41 species within this genus, and most of these Central American birds show strong sexual dimorphism. William John Swainson, an English naturalist, introduced this genus as Spermophila in 1827. This name was later replaced by Jean Cabanis, a German ornithologist as Sporophila, in 1844. There are two Ancient Greek elements in Sporophila, 'sporos', meaning 'seed' and 'philos', meaning '-loving'. The family of these birds, Thraupidae, was first introduced as the Thraupinae subfamily by Jean Cabanis, a German ornithologist in 1847.

If you like these facts about the cinnamon-rumped seedeater bird, then learn more facts on about Louisiana waterthrush and flycatcher birds on Kidadl.

Cinnamon-Rumped Seedeater Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a cinnamon-rumped seedeater?

The cinnamon-rumped seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) is a seedeater bird species of the order Passeriformes, family Thraupidae, and phylum Chordata. The French name of this seedeater is Sporophile à col blanc. This Central American species from Mexico searches for on the ground and feeds on plants. These birds are also a non-migratory species. Female and male birds differ vividly in coloration.

What class of animal does a cinnamon-rumped seedeater belong to?

The cinnamon-rumped seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) of the order Passeriformes. family Thraupidae belongs to the class of Aves of animals.

How many cinnamon-rumped seedeaters are there in the world?

The population distribution of the cinnamon-rumped seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) in the world is not known. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species records shows that the current population distribution of this Central American bird in the world is increasing and they are quite common in their range.

Where does a cinnamon-rumped seedeater live?

The cinnamon-rumped seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) habitat range is restricted to Mexico as this seedeater is endemic to Mexico. The geographic range of this bird extends from Sonora south through to Baja California and Oaxaca. The S. t. atriceps subspecies occupies south-western and central Mexico and  The S. t. torqueola subspecies occupies western Mexico and southern Baja California.

What is a cinnamon-rumped seedeater's habitat?

The geographic habitat range of the cinnamon-rumped seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) is throughout subtropical and tropical shrublands, vegetation across rivers, savannas, and grasslands. This bird also occupies arable land, heavily degraded previously forested areas, and pastures. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species suggests that this species is found at an elevation of 7,874 ft (2,400 m).

Who do cinnamon-rumped seedeaters live with?

The cinnamon-rumped seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) can be found on its own or searching for food in a mixed group of bird species. A seedeater bird group is called an eatery of seedeaters.

How long does a cinnamon-rumped seedeater live?

The cinnamon-rumped seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) lives for around five years.

How do they reproduce?

The breeding season of the cinnamon-rumped seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) occurs in March and extends through to June. This species is territorial. The birds may engage in courtship during the breeding season, which may involve tail lifting and bowing. The male bird is territorial. The nest is built at a distance of 3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m) from the ground in a fork of a small tree or bush. Females lay around two to four eggs and incubate them without any help from the male for 12-13 days. The color of the eggs varies from pale blue to gray and they have brown marks.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the cinnamon-rumped seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) is listed as Least Concern. The current population number of this common seedeater species is increasing. However, they do face threats from habitat destruction.

Cinnamon-Rumped Seedeater Fun Facts

What do cinnamon-rumped seedeaters look like?

The cinnamon-rumped seedeater (Sporophila torqueola) of Mexico is a small bird with a thick and curved bill of the family Thraupidae. Male birds show a black hood that extends to their auriculars, a white-collar separated by a black nape, white or buff chin, rust or rufous-colored underparts, cinnamon rump, gray-black upperparts or back, and a black upper-breast line. Their gray-black wings do not have wing bars. Females have a brown back, underparts, and are mostly brown all over.  

Cinnamon rumped seedeaters forage for insects mostly on plants

* Please note that this is an image of a white-collared seedeater. If you have an image of a cinnamon-rumped seedeater, please let us know at hello@kidadl.com.

How cute are they?

The Sporophila torqueola (Bonaparte, 1850) bird of Mexico is considered cute due to its varying coloration and white-collar.

How do they communicate?

The Sporophila torqueola (Bonaparte, 1850) communicates using vocals, body language, and visuals. The song of this bird species is a high-pitched 'sweet-sweet-sweet cheer-cheer-cheer'. This bird of Mexico also engages in courtship display like bowing and tail lifting.

How big is a cinnamon-rumped seedeater?

The Sporophila torqueola (Bonaparte, 1850) measures around 3.7-4.4 in (9.5-11.2 cm) in length. These birds are almost five times smaller than hooded crows.

How fast can a cinnamon-rumped seedeater fly?

The exact flight speed of these birds of Mexico is not known.

How much does a cinnamon-rumped seedeater weigh?

The weight of this is bird is around 0.01-0.02 lb (6.3-12 g).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There is no specific name given to female and male Sporophile à col blanc birds.

What would you call a baby cinnamon-rumped seedeater?

There is no specific name given to a baby cinnamon-rumped seedeater.

What do they eat?

This bird species of Mexico searches for food on the ground but mostly on top of herbaceous plants. They feed on insects and seeds and sometimes berries too.

Are they dangerous?

These birds of Mexico are not dangerous to human beings.

Would they make a good pet?

No, this small bird would not make a great pet. This seedeater thrives around grasslands and savannas.

Did you know...

The immature male and female Sporophila genus species are difficult to identify by humans.

Some predators of this bird species are toucans and birds of prey like hawks and eagles.

The white-collared seedeater is found across the Rio Grande close to San Ignacio in Texas, United States. The range of white-collared seedeater birds extends from Central America and eastern Mexico to Panama.

The subspecies S. t. atriceps and S. t. torqueola also occupy Durango and Sinaloa to southern and western Oaxaca.

The subspecies of white-collared seedeater (S. morelleti) are S. m. sharpei, S. m. morelleti, and S. m. mutanda.

Around 60% of Tanager birds are found in South America and the 30% are found in the Andes. These species have dull songs that sometimes become elaborate. Some of these birds find insects on the undersides of leaves and others find insects in holes and branches in trees. It was made apparent that this family and other traditional families were not monophyletic using modern molecular techniques to study these bird species

There are 106 genera within 15 subfamilies and around 383 species in this family according to count done in July 2020.

The Morelet's seedeaters have a black head and upperparts with a white rump, eye crescent, wing bars, and underparts. They occupy subtropical and tropical grasslands, shrublands, and savannas. It has been recorded that in captivity, these birds bathe and drink water quite often. However, this was not true in the wild as they were not observed drinking water in the wild.

How did the seedeater get its name?

The current name cinnamon-rumped seedeater refers to the cinnamon-colored rump of these birds. They were also previously placed with white-collared seedeater birds because of their white collar.

What threats do cinnamon-rumped seedeaters face?

Even though they are a common sight in Mexico, these seed eater birds do face the threat of habitat destruction.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds from our Hawaiian honeycreeper facts and towhee facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable bird coloring pages.

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Written by Arpitha Rajendra

Bachelor of Engineering specializing in Aeronautical/Aerospace Technology, Master of Business Administration specializing in Management

Arpitha Rajendra picture

Arpitha RajendraBachelor of Engineering specializing in Aeronautical/Aerospace Technology, Master of Business Administration specializing in Management

With a background in Aeronautical Engineering and practical experience in various technical areas, Arpitha is a valuable member of the Kidadl content writing team. She did her Bachelor's degree in Engineering, specializing in Aeronautical Engineering, at Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology in 2020. Arpitha has honed her skills through her work with leading companies in Bangalore, where she contributed to several noteworthy projects, including the development of high-performance aircraft using morphing technology and the analysis of crack propagation using Abaqus XFEM.

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