seedeater

seedeater
/seed"ee'teuhr/, n.
any of numerous small, tropical American finches, esp. of the genus Sporophila.
[1875-80; SEED + EAT + -ER1]

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bird
 broadly, any songbird that lives chiefly on seeds and typically has a more or less strong conical bill for crushing them. In this sense, the term includes the sparrows, buntings, finches, grosbeaks, canaries, weavers, and waxbills.

      Seedeater also is the particular name of about 30 species of the genus Sporophila, of the subfamily Emberizinae, family Fringillidae. Common in the warmer parts of the New World, these little birds flock to feed on grass seeds and, at night, roost close together. A widespread example is the variable seedeater (S. aurita); the male's black-and-white or black-and-brown markings show much individual and geographic variation. In Carduelidae (considered by many authors to be a subfamily of the Fringillidae) are species of Serinus (canaries) that are called seedeaters in eastern and southern Africa; the yellow-rumped seedeater, or black-throated canary (S. atrogularis), is a familiar form.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Seedeater — Taxobox name = Seedeaters image width = 240px image caption = Male Variable Seedeater, Sporophila corvina regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Passeriformes familia = Thraupidae ( partim ) subdivision ranks = genera… …   Wikipedia

  • seedeater — svilikėliai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas atitikmenys: lot. Serinus angl. canary; seedeater vok. Girlitz, m rus. канареечный вьюрок, m pranc. serin, m ryšiai: platesnis terminas – čivyliai siauresnis terminas – abisininis svilikėlis… …   Paukščių pavadinimų žodynas

  • seedeater — noun Date: circa 1879 a bird (as a finch) whose diet consists basically of seeds …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • seedeater — noun a) An individual or species which eats seeds Many omnivores and vegetarians are part time seedeaters b) A bird species which feeds mainly on seeds Most seedeaters have strong, typically shaped bills Syn …   Wiktionary

  • seedeater — ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷ ̷ ̷ noun Etymology: seed (I) + eater : any of various birds and especially finches whose diet consists basically of seeds : hard bill: as a. : any of several southern African finches that resemble and were formerly classified with the… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Variable Seedeater — Taxobox name = Variable Seedeater image width = 240px image caption = A male from near Panama City, Panama. status = LC status system = iucn3.1 regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Passeriformes familia = Thraupidae genus =… …   Wikipedia

  • Marsh Seedeater — Male Conservation status …   Wikipedia

  • White-collared Seedeater — Conservation status Least Concern ( …   Wikipedia

  • Wing-barred Seedeater — Taxobox name = Wing barred Seedeater image width = 240px image caption = status = LC status system = iucn3.1 regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Passeriformes familia = Thraupidae genus = Sporophila species = S. americana… …   Wikipedia

  • Hooded Seedeater — Taxobox name = Hooded Seedeater status = CR status system = IUCN3.1 regnum = Animalia phylum = Chordata classis = Aves ordo = Passeriformes familia = Thraupidae genus = Sporophila species = S. melanops binomial = Sporophila melanops binomial… …   Wikipedia

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