About Sporophila funerea (P.L.Sclater, 1860)
The thick-billed seed finch, with the scientific name Sporophila funerea (P.L.Sclater, 1860), is a bird species that belongs to the family Thraupidae, though it was classified in the family Emberizidae until recently. It has a wide distribution across shrubby and grassy habitats, ranging from southern Mexico, through Central America, to the Chocó region in Colombia and Ecuador. In South America east of the Andes, as well as in the Cauca and Magdalena valleys of Colombia, this species is replaced by the closely related chestnut-bellied seed finch. The thick-billed seed finch and the chestnut-bellied seed finch have often been treated as a single conspecific species under the name lesser seed-finch, Sporophila angolensis. Adult males are almost entirely black, with a small white patch on the wing. Adult females are a rich brown color across their entire body. Both sexes of thick-billed seed finch are very similar to the all-black Caribbean slope form of the variable seedeater, but can be distinguished by their larger bill that has a straight culmen. This species measures 11.5 cm (4.5 in) in length and weighs 13.5 g (0.48 oz).
