Buntings and New World Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Variable Seedeater (Sporophila corvina) - HBW 16, p. 649

French: Sporophile variable German: Mohrenpfäffchen Spanish: Semillero Variable
Other common names: Black Seedeater, Northern Variable Seedeater

Taxonomy: Spermophila corvina P. L. Sclater, 1860, Playa Vicente, Oaxaca, Mexico.
Formerly referred to as S. aurita, but type of this name is unidentifiable as it originates from Canal Zone of Panama, where nominate race and hicksii interbreed. Molecular evidence suggests that genus is closely related to Oryzoborus, which should perhaps be subsumed within it; further, that both genera should be placed in the tanager family (Thraupidae). Forms a superspecies with S. americana, S. murallae and S. intermedia, and has been treated as conspecific with the first two; S. intermedia was not thought to belong to this group until seen to hybridize with present species in two different regions of Colombia. From Colombia, proposed race anchicayae (described from R Anchicayá, in Valle) is a hybrid between race hicksii of present species and race bogotensis of S. intermedia, and chocoana (from Nuquí, in Chocó) is considered inseparable from hicksii. Four subspecies recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution:

corvina (P. L. Sclater, 1860) - S Mexico (S Veracruz and N Oaxaca), Guatemala and Belize S on Caribbean slope to Costa Rica and W Panama.
hoffmanni Cabanis, 1861 - Pacific slope of Costa Rica and extreme W Panama.
hicksii (Lawrence, 1865) - Pacific slope of Panama (except extreme W) E through Canal Zone to W Colombia (Córdoba S to Cauca).
ophthalmica (P. L. Sclater, 1860) - lowlands W of Andes from SW Colombia (Nariño) S to NW Peru (La Libertad).