Black-winged Saltator vs Common corncockle

Saltator atripennis compared with Agrostemma githago

Key Differences

Black-winged Saltator is Least Concern while Common corncockle is Critically Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Black-winged Saltator	Common corncockle
Kingdom	Animalia (Animals)	Plantae (Plants)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Magnoliophyta (Flowering Plants)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Magnoliopsida (Dicots)
Order	Passeriformes (Songbirds)	Caryophyllales (Caryophyllales)
Family	Thraupidae	Caryophyllaceae
Genus	Saltator	Agrostemma
Species	Saltator atripennis	Agrostemma githago

Conservation Status

Black-winged Saltator

LC — Least Concern

Common corncockle

CR — Critically Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Black-winged Saltator	Common corncockle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Black-winged Saltator

Habitat

Typically found in various aerial, terrestrial, and aquatic environments.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Norway.

Common corncockle

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including montane grasslands and shrublands, tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, and temperate coniferous forests, among 13 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Widely distributed across Africa (Lesotho), Asia (7 countries), Europe (24 countries), North America (Canada, Mexico, United States), Oceania and the Pacific (Australia), and South America (Brazil, Chile). Currently classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Black-winged Saltator

A large, robust seed-eating bird of humid forest edges and secondary woodland in the Pacific lowlands of Ecuador and Colombia, black-winged saltators have slate-grey body plumage with distinctive black wings contrasting boldly with white wing markings. They inhabit dense undergrowth, forest borders, and secondary growth, foraging on large seeds, fruit, and buds. Like other saltators, they have powerful bills for cracking hard seeds. Listed as Least Concern with stable populations in remaining Pacific coastal forest.

Common corncockle

<em>Agrostemma githago</em>, commonly known as common corncockle, is an annual flowering plant in the family Caryophyllaceae. Once a widespread weed of cereal crops across Europe, Asia, and beyond, this species is now Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to the dramatic decline caused by modern agricultural practices, particularly improved grain cleaning and herbicide use. Corncockle is a tall, slender plant covered in silky white hairs, bearing large, solitary pink to purple flowers with distinctive dark veining. Its seeds contain toxic saponin compounds called githagins, which historically contaminated grain supplies. The species now survives primarily in wildflower conservation areas, seed banks, and traditional farmland conservation schemes. It typically grows in open, disturbed arable soils with full sun exposure. Biological traits of this species remain poorly documented in the scientific literature.