Black-billed Seed Finch (Sporophila) [XC87849]
by David Geale from Amazon Manu Lodge, Madre de Dios, Peru (song)
Black-billed Seed Finch (Sporophila) [XC264862]
by id from Morona-Santiago: R\u00edo Upano, near Macas, Ecuador (call, song, calls)
Subspecies
Genus sometimes subsumed in Sporophila. Molecular evidence suggests that genus as currently constituted may not be monophyletic, and some of its members may have closest relatives in Sporophila. More data necessary in order to resolve a basal polytomy in the phylogeny. Formerly considered conspecific with Nicaraguan Seed-Finch (Sporophila nuttingi), Large-billed Seed-Finch (Sporophila crassirostris)and Great-billed Seed-Finch (Sporophila maximiliani). The taxonomy of this group still in flux. Subspecies weakly differentiated, and larger bill of gigantirostris may be individually variable. Species perhaps better treated as montypic.
The following 2 subspecies are recognised:
atrirostris Sclater & Salvin, 1878 - Locally in extreme southern Colombia, eastern lowlands of Ecuador and eastern Andean slopes in northern Peru (San Martín, Loreto and Ucayali).
gigantirostris Bond & Meyer de Schauensee, 1939 - South-eastern Peru (Madre de Dios) and northern and eastern Bolivia (Beni; isolated records in western and central Santa Cruz).