Black-faced Grassquit

Taxobox
name = Black-faced Grassquit
status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1

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image_caption = An adult male
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Aves
ordo = Passeriformes
familia = Thraupidae
genus = "Tiaris"
species = "T. bicolor"
binomial = "Tiaris bicolor"
binomial_authority = (Linnaeus, 1766)

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.

References

*IUCN2006|assessors=BirdLife International|year=2004|id=54026|title=Tiaris bicolor|downloaded=12 May 2006 Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern
*cite book
last = ffrench
first = Richard
title = A Guide to the Birds of Trinidad and Tobago
edition = 2nd edition
year = 1991
publisher = Comstock Publishing
isbn = 0-8014-9792-2
*cite book|last=Hilty|first=Steven L.|title=Birds of Venezuela|year=2003|publisher=Christopher Helm|location=London|id=ISBN 0-7136-6418-5

External links

* [http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/especie.phtml?idEspecie=9464 Black-faced Grassquit videos] on the Internet Bird Collection