Carrizal seedeater

The Carrizal seedeater (Amaurospiza carrizalensis) is a recently discovered species of seedeater. These are birds in the family Cardinalidae, long placed with the American sparrows in the Emberizidae.

This bird lives on Isla Carrizal in the Caroni River, in northern Venezuela.

It is 12 cm long. The males are gray with blue flecks, and the females are yellow.

The species has been described based on three specimens found in 2001; its only known habitat, stands of spiny guadua and ripidocladus species bamboo forest on the type locality, has been cleared to allow construction of the Tocoma Dam, but researchers are hopeful of finding the birds living elsewhere.