Christopher Taylor Bird Nature Wildlife Mammal Photography
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GALLERIES > BIRDS > PASSERIFORMES > EMBERIZIDAE > BLACK-FACED GRASSQUIT [Tiaris bicolor]

Black-faced Grassquit Photo
 
 
Location: Saint Kitts (Saint Christopher Island)
GPS: 17.3W, -62.8N MAP
Date: October 24, 2009
ID: 7C2V4539

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SPECIES INFO

The Black-faced Grassquit, Tiaris bicolor, is a small bird formerly placed with the Emberizidae. It is now recognized as a tanager closely related to Darwins finches. 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.





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black_faced_grassquit's Range Map Click here to see the Black-faced Grassquit's range map!


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