Amaurospiza concolor
Silhouette: Sheatherius · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The blue seedeater (Amaurospiza concolor) or Cabanis's seedeater is a species of bird in the cardinal family that is found in southern Mexico and Central America. The Ecuadorian seedeater (Amaurospiza aequatorialis) was formerly considered a subspecies of the blue seedeater.
The blue seedeater was formally described in 1861 by the German ornithologist Jean Cabanis based on a specimen that had been collected in Costa Rica. Cabanis placed the species in a new genus Amaurospiza and coined the binomial name Amaurospiza concolor. The specific epithet is Latin meaning "uniform", "similar in colour" or "plain".
The blue seedeater was formerly considered to be conspecific with the Ecuadorian seedeater. Most authorities now treat the Ecuadorian seedeateras a separate species. This is based largely on the results of molecular phylogenetic studies that were published in 2014 and 2023. Confusingly, as of January 2024, BirdLife International uses the scientific name A. moesta for blue seedeater. The BirdLife account encompasses what are now the blue, Ecuadorian, and blackish-blue seedeaters.
Two subspecies are recognised: Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Cañón del Sumidero National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Volcán Barú National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 4 | Chirripó National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama | |
| 6 | Poás Volcano National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 7 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San José | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Seedeater sighting in Cañón del Sumidero National Park on a given day, based on 48 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 126th most-seen of the 243 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March and April
In those months about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Blue Seedeater in Cañón del Sumidero National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February, June, August, October and December, the lowest months. Those are among Cañón del Sumidero National Park's driest months, with about 15 mm of rain a month against 260 mm in June.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Blue Seedeater sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 7 parks where we can rate Blue Seedeater sightings, Cañón del Sumidero National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve (Mexico, about 10%).
Same family: Cardinalidae
The closest relatives of the Blue Seedeater that you can see in Cañón del Sumidero National Park (family Cardinalidae, Cardinals and Allies) are Western Tanager (about 30%), Indigo Bunting (about 20%) and Red-breasted Chat (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Blue Seedeater is recorded against all the birds logged in Cañón del Sumidero National Park (48 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
