As other Sporophila seedeaters, it mainly feeds on seeds, but has also been recorded feeding on stems, leaves and fruits (e.g. Cecropia).
Its diet consists mostly of fruit, including the fruits of Cecropia trees and the palm Oenocarpus bacaba.
E. J. H. Corner suggested moving the genus to the Urticaceae in 1962, while Cornelis Berg placed Cecropia in its own family, the Cecropiaceae.
Cecropins isolated from insects other than Hyalophora cecropia (Cecropia moth) have been given various names; bactericidin, lepidopteran, sarcotoxin, etc.
Their primary diet consists of small arthropods, especially Hymenoptera, beetles, and spiders; this is supplemented by seeds of Cecropia and other plants.
In August 2012, a cecropia moth caterpillar was accidentally imported from Ontario to St. John’s, Newfoundland, via a shipment of dogwood shrubs.
The Drosophilia Yippee protein was originally discovered in a yeast interaction trap screen when it was found to physically interact with Hyalophora cecropia Hemolin.