Black-faced Grassquit
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| Tiaris bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) |
The Black-faced Grassquit, Tiaris bicolor, is a small bird of the family Emberizidae, which also includes the buntings. It breeds in the West Indies except Cuba, on Tobago but not Trinidad, and along the northern coasts of Colombia and Venezuela.
This is a common bird in long grass or scrub in open or semi-open areas, including roadsides and ricefields. It makes a domed grass nest, lined with finer grasses, and placed low in a bush or on a bank. The typical clutch is two or three whitish eggs blotched with reddish brown. Both sexes build the nest and feed the young.
Adult Black-faced Grassquits are 10.2cm long and weigh 10.5g. They have a short conical black bill with an obvious curve to the culmen. The male is olive green above, paler grey-olive below, and has a black head and breast. Female and immature birds have dull olive-grey upperparts and head, and paler grey underparts becoming whiter on the belly.
Males on the South American mainland have more extensively black underparts, shading to a grey belly.
The Black-faced Grassquit feeds mainly on seeds, especially of grasses and weeds. It is often found in small groups, but is solitary at evening roosts.
The male has a display flight in which he flies for short distances, vibrating his wings and giving a buzzing dik-zeezeezee call.
[edit] References
- BirdLife International (2004). Tiaris bicolor. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
- ffrench, Richard (1992). A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago, 2nd ed., London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-3518-5.
- Hilty, Steven L. (2003). Birds of Venezuela. London: Christopher Helm. ISBN 0-7136-6418-5.
[edit] External links
- Black-faced Grassquit videos on the Internet Bird Collection
