Yellow-bellied seedeater

Sporophila nigricollis

The Yellow-bellied seedeater (Sporophila nigricollis) is a bird found in Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica. Grassy fields and gardens from Costa Rica to Argentina. It eats seeds and nuts and insects and other small invertebrates. The IUCN Red List lists it as Least Concern.

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Scientific name	Sporophila nigricollis
Region	South America
Found in	Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica

🏡 Where the Yellow-bellied seedeater lives

Grassy fields and gardens from Costa Rica to Argentina.

🍽️ What it eats

🌰 Seeds & nuts80%
🐛 Insects & bugs20%

A rough guide to its diet over a year. Source: EltonTraits (Wilman et al. 2014).

Conservation status

LCNTVUENCREWEX

Least ConcernThere are plenty of these birds.

💡 It cracks tiny seeds with a small, strong beak.

Hear the Yellow-bellied seedeater

Recorded by Robson Silva e Silva (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0), xeno-canto XC1018586. Trimmed to a few seconds.

Questions about the Yellow-bellied seedeater

Where does the Yellow-bellied seedeater live?

The Yellow-bellied seedeater lives in Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama and Costa Rica. Grassy fields and gardens from Costa Rica to Argentina.

What does the Yellow-bellied seedeater eat?

seeds and nuts (about 80%), insects and other small invertebrates (about 20%). These are rough shares of its diet over a year, from the EltonTraits database.

Is the Yellow-bellied seedeater endangered?

There are plenty of these birds. Its IUCN Red List category is Least Concern.

More birds from South America

Sources: IUCN Red List (via Wikidata), EltonTraits 1.0 (Wilman et al. 2014), GBIF sightings for countries, Wikipedia. Last updated 2026-10-19.