Cotinga 39 Short Communications In Venezuela, Large-billed Seed Finch is typically a lowland species (0–500 m) of open and semi-open grassy areas with scattered bushes and patches of tall grass, frequently near water, as well as grassy forest edges with second growth, clearings, cultivation, and seasonally flooded areas with bushes, trees and grass6,8,13. It is scarce13 with scattered records throughout the country6,8,9,11,16. However, recent sightings with photographic evidence, in addition to an exhaustive search of bibliographic, museum and online resources has revealed important new data concerning the altitudinal and geographical distribution of the species of Venezuela. Altitudinal range extension Altitudinal and geographical range extension for Largebilled Seed Finch Sporophila crassirostris in Venezuela, with a review of the species’ range in country Large-billed Seed Finch Sporophila crassirostris occurs in northern South America, from north-east Peru through Ecuador to northern Colombia, Venezuela, northern Brazil and the Guianas14,15. Never abundant, it is locally fairly common in Colombia7, scarce in Ecuador, Guyana and Surinam, but increasingly rare in the latter two countries13; rare in Peru17, and very rare in French Guiana13. It mainly inhabits lowland grassland with scattered trees and bushes near water, marshes and wet areas with tall sedges and grasses, as well as farmland, and savannas with tangled vegetation15 at 0–700 m, although a Colombian record (1,000 m)7 suggests it could reach 1,100 m15. An adult male Large-billed Seed Finch was seen three times, between 29 July and 1 August 2016, at 900–1,030 m, in the south-east suburbs of Caracas, on the road to Caserío Los Naranjos, El Hatillo, Miranda state, northern Venezuela (10°26’10”N 66°47’46”W). The first record was on 29 July, at 07h30, when the bird suddenly emerged from dense Guinea grass Megathyrsus maximus (Poaceae) beside a road at 1,030 m. It was with Yellowbellied Seedeaters Sporophila nigricollis, Black-faced Grassquits Tiaris bicolor and Blue-black Grassquits Volatinia jacarina. It flitted between grass stems, then quickly disappeared. A small watercourse (quebrada Santa Rosa) runs close by (<15 m), with a narrow riparian forest fringing it. The second record was on 30 July (07h40) when the bird was alone at 980 m, singing atop a Cecropia peltata. After a few seconds, it flew off. The third record was on 1 August (08h20) at 900 m, in tall grass surrounded by a few Avocado Persea americana trees and herbaceous plants, e.g. Leonotis nepetifolia (Lamiaceae), Gronovia scandens (Loasaceae) and Oyedaea verbesinoides (Asteraceae), growing in a residential area. It was observed for ten minutes and photographed (Fig. 1), searching for Rottboelia cochinchinensis 81 seeds, a grass species also present at the other localities. As Largebilled Seed Finch is a highly prized cagebird2–5,13, the bird could have been released. Nonetheless, a female was seen on 25 August, perched on a Verbesina caracasana (Asteraceae) bush, weakening the cagebird hypothesis. Some authors12 have noted that lowland avifauna increase their altitudinal range following anthropogenic upland deforestation. Irrespective of the present record’s provenance, it represents the highest altitude published for the country. Updated distribution Large-billed Seed Finch is patchily distributed in Venezuela6. However, a review of bibliographic and online resources, as well as local ornithological collections suggests that the species’ status in the country might be more favourable than is generally Figure 1. Male Large-billed Seed Finch Sporophila crassirostris, quebrada Santa Rosa, Caserío Los Naranjos, Municipio El Hatillo, south-east of Caracas, northern Venezuela, 1 August 2016 (Carlos Verea) Cotinga 39 Short Communications Figure 2. Distribution in Venezuela of Large-billed Seed Finch Sporophila crassirostris based on museum and field data. perceived. Online data were obtained from the Macaulay Library, Audubon and Cornell Lab of Ornithology (Ithaca, New York, USA) and Xeno-canto (Netherlands) accessed via the Macaulay Library (http:// macaulaylibrary.org; ML), eBird (http://ebird.org) and xeno-canto (www.xeno-canto. org; XC) portals, respectively. From these, sight records within the range of S. maximiliani in eastern Venezuela (Sucre, Delta Amacuro) were excluded because they were undocumented. Foreign museum data were obtained via ORNIS (http://ornisnet.org). Phelps & Phelps (1963) was used as a baseline, and augmented with subsequently published data6,8,13,16. Museum and online data were added thereafter. Museum data are indicated by the relevant acronym and registration number. Other acronyms are as follows: COP = Phelps Ornithological Collection, Caracas; MHNLS = La Salle Natural History Museum, Caracas; MEBRG = Rancho Grande Biological Station Museum, Maracay; CM = Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh; AMNH = American Museum of Natural History, New York; and FMNH = Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago. Distributional data are organised separately north and south of the Orinoco. Within parentheses, localities are separated by semicolons. Including the new record above, the species’ distribution in Venezuela is as follows (Fig. 2). North of the Orinoco (0–1,030 m): Andean foothills in southern Zulia6,8,11 (Santa Bárbara11; Lago de Maracaibo: Guachi, CM P90909; Catatumbo: Campamento El Rosario, MHNLS 9397), north-west Mérida6,11 (El Vigía11), south-west Trujillo6,11 (Escuque11), Táchira6,8 (Las Mesas, COP 68605; east slope6), west Barinas (San Silvestre: Hato Doña Barbara, G. Carpentier eBird checklist S13437550, and B. Washburn eBird checklist S7420803) and Portuguesa6 (Biscucuy, P. Carrillo eBird checklist S27487982; Turen: near Río Cojedes, P. Schwartz 82 ML63522; Los Hierros: Embalse Tucupido, F. Mariño eBird checklist S30684447; Sipororo: PDVSA facility, J. Miranda eBird checklist S25954851; Acarigua: Finca Chaira, COP 80029). Northern range in Falcón6 (Morrocoy National Park, A. Topp eBird checklist S28463972; Cerro Misión6; Cerro Santa Ana: Moruy, L. Moran eBird checklist S28471574), Coastal Cordillera in Yaracuy (Nirgua, P. Carrillo eBird checklist S22608907; Aroa: Finca El Jaguar, MEBRG 11382), northern Carabobo6,8,11 (San Esteban National Park: San Esteban11; El Trompillo, CM P46983), Aragua6,8,11 (Henri Pittier National Park: Cata6,11,16), Miranda (Guatopo National Park: Casupito, J. V. Remsen eBird checklist S14701504; El Hatillo: quebrada Santa Rosa; Aniagua, D. García eBird checklist S31024376), and Sucre (south Guaraunos, FMNH 339668 and P. Coopmans ML40476). Llanos in Apure (Guasdalito, P. Schwartz ML63530–31; San Fernando, G. Carpentier eBird checklist Cotinga 39 S13373923), Cojedes6 (San Carlos: Río Mapurite, MEBRG 7806 and P. Schwartz ML63519–20; El Baul: Hato Piñero, M. Andersen eBird checklist S3778885, and G. Lasley eBird checklist S17308419; Galeras del Pao, MEBRG 7828; Las Vegas: Hato Itabana, MHNLS 8094; Fundo La Leona, MHNLS 8287), west Guarico6 (El Sombrero, P. Schwartz ML63519; Corozo Pando: Hato Masaguaral, P. Schwartz ML63523, 63525–29, 63532; Hato Flores Moradas, MEBRG 754; Hacienda La Fe, C. Sharpe pers. comm.; Calabozo–San Fernando highway, J. Sipiroa eBird checklist S7160624; Guaitoco: west Río Tiznados, P. Schwartz ML63521), west Anzoátegui (Pariaguán, J. Miranda eBird checklist S9533516), and north-east Monagas6 (Caño Colorado, P. Boesman XC227037 and H. Matheve XC202338). Delta Amacuro6,11 (Jobure11; north-east Tucupita: Hacienda Palo Blanco, COP 69091; San Francisco de Guayo: Misión Guayo, COP 48299; El Toro: Río Aicoma, MHNLS 11507; Río Amacuro, COP 67335). South of the Orinoco (0–900 m): Amazonas6,8,11 (El Platanal: Caño Parucito11; San Juan de Manapiare11; Solano: Río Casiquiare, AMNH 433623); north-west Bolívar from near Caicara del Orinoco6,8 (Las Guacas1,11; Quiribana de Caicara, AMNH 514247) east to Sierra de Imataca11 (El Palmar11; Santa Fe, D. García eBird checklist S32607909); and Santa Elena de Uairén6. Thirty-nine new localities were identified. El Sombrero (Guárico) is based on P. Schwartz’s comment (ML63519): ‘… same bird with a different “pitador”, this one from El Sombrero’. A ‘pitador’ is a captive bird, whose singing is used to attract wild birds by bird traders. Embalse Tucupido (Portuguesa) was originally called Embalse La Coromoto (eBird checklist S30684447). Also, San Sylvestre (eBird checklist S13437550) = San Silvestre; Guaraunes (ML40476) = Guaraunos; and Siroporo (eBird checklist S25954851) = Sipororo. Hato Masaguaral, Hato Flores Short Communications Moradas, Hacienda La Fe and the Calabozo–San Fernando highway all pertain to the Corozo Pando area. The highway locality is 6.5 km south of Hacienda La Fe. Claims of occurrence in central Táchira, central Mérida and eastern Trujillo8 are imprecise, and do not match older9,11 or recent data6. The basis for including eastern Táchira6 in the range is unknown, but presumably relates to a sight record. South of the Orinoco, the species was previously known only to 200 m6,13, but Santa Elena de Uairén is at 900 m. Based on the available data (Fig. 2), the new record from El Hatillo fills an important gap in the Large-billed Seed Finch’s range in north-central Venezuela. Acknowledgements I thank Miguel Lentino for providing the map; Carlos Reyes and Shingo Nozawa for botanical identifications; and Chris Sharpe for his comments on the submitted manuscript. Also, the Phelps Ornithological Collection, La Salle Natural History Museum and Rancho Grande Biological Station Museum for their support. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. References 1. Cherrie, G. K. (1916) A contribution to the ornithology of the Orinoco region. Brooklyn Inst. Arts & Sci. Mus. Bull. 2: 133–374. 2. Chubb, C. (1921) The birds of British Guiana. London, UK: Taylor & Francis. 3. Haverschmidt, F. (1968) Birds of Suriname. Edinburgh & London, UK: Oliver & Boyd. 4. Haverschmidt, F. & Mees, G. F. (1994) Birds of Suriname. Paramaribo: VACO. 5. Herklots, G. A. C. (1961) The birds of Trinidad and Tobago. London, UK: Collins. 6. Hilty, S. L. (2003) Birds of Venezuela. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 7. Hilty, S. L. & Brown, W. L. (1986) A guide to the birds of Colombia. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. 8. Phelps, W. H. & Meyer de Schauensee, R. (1994) Una guía de las aves de 83 15. 16. 17. Venezuela. Caracas: Ed. ExLibris. Phelps, W. H. & Phelps, W. H. Jr. (1950) Lista de las aves de Venezuela con su distribución, Parte 2, Passeriformes. Bol. Soc. Venez. Cienc. Natur. 12: 1–427. Phelps, W. H. & Phelps, W. H. Jr. (1950) Seven new subspecies of Venezuelan birds. Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 63: 115–126. Phelps, W. H. & Phelps, W. H. Jr. (1963) Lista de las aves de Venezuela con su distribución. Tomo 1, Parte 2 Passeriformes (segunda ed.). Bol. Soc. Venez. Cienc. Natur. 24: 1–479. Renjifo, L. M. (1999) Composition changes in a subandean avifauna after long-term forest fragmentation. Conserv. Biol. 13: 1124–1139. Restall, R., Rodner, C. & Lentino, M. (2006) Birds of northern South America, 2. London, UK: Christopher Helm. Ridgely, R. S. & Greenfield, P. J. (2001) The birds of Ecuador, 1. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press. Ridgely, R. S. & Tudor, G. (1989) The birds of South America, 1. Austin: University of Texas Press. Schäfer, E. & Phelps, W. H. (1954) Las aves del Parque Nacional “Henri Pittier” (Rancho Grande) y sus funciones ecológicas. Bol. Soc. Venez. Cienc. Natur. 83: 1–167. Schulenberg, T. S., Stotz, D. F., Lane D. F., O’Neill, J. P. & Parker, T. A. (2007) Birds of Peru. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Carlos Verea Instituto de Zoología Agrícola, Facultad de Agronomía, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Apartado Postal 4579, Maracay 2101-A, estado Aragua, Venezuela. E-mail: cverea@gmail.com. Received 14 September 2016; final revision accepted 19 April 2017