Black-faced Grassquit

Tiaris bicolorOrder: PASSERIFORMES Family: Sparrows (Emberizidae)

Codes: Common Name: BFGR Scientific Name: TIABIC ITIS Taxonomic No.: 179160

Breeding Location:

Meadows, grassy, Grasslands, open, Bushes and shrubs

Breeding Type:

Monogamous, Small colonies

Breeding Population:

Common in range, Accidental in North America

Egg Color:

White, marked at larger end with red brown

Number of Eggs:

2 - 3

Incubation Days:

10 - 13

Egg Incubator:

Female

Nest Material:

Grass and twigs with lining of finer grass

Migration:

Nonmigratory

General

Black-faced Grassquit: Small sparrow, very dark olive-gray with black head and breast. Female and juvenile are plain olive-gray above and gray below.

Range and Habitat

Black-faced Grassquit: Native to the West Indies, rarely seen in sountern Florida and those sightings may be escaped caged birds. Perfers open areas of grasses, scrub and fields.

Breeding and Nesting

Black-faced Grassquit: Two to three white eggs with red brown markings are laid in a nest built by both sexes of grass and twigs lined with fine grass in low bushes or small trees less than 20 feet above the ground. Incubated by female for about 12 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Black-faced Grassquit: Eats mostly seeds and forages in grass and shrubbery. Will also eat berries, small fruit and, insects.

Vocalization

Black-faced Grassquit: Song is an insect like buzzing often repeated.

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Bird Call Credits: The Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Martyn Stewart, http://www.naturesound.org, Redmond, Washington USA. The reuse or copying of bird calls in this database is strictly forbidden.

Black-faced Grassquit

Black-faced Grassquit: Small sparrow, very dark olive-gray with black head and breast. Black bill, legs and feet. Very common in the West Indies. Feeds mainly on seeds, especially of grasses and weeds. The flight is weak, bouncy and fluttering. Alternates rapid wing beats with pulling wings to body.

● Song: "zeezeezee"; "tik-tink-tink-tzeeeeeeeee"

● Foraging & Feeding: Black-faced Grassquit: Eats mostly seeds and forages in grass and shrubbery. Will also eat berries, small fruit and, insects.

● Breeding & nesting: Black-faced Grassquit: Two to three white eggs with red brown markings are laid in a nest built by both sexes of grass and twigs lined with fine grass in low bushes or small trees less than 20 feet above the ground. Incubated by female for about 12 days.

● Similar species:

Flight Pattern

Weak fluttering flight of short duration, with series of rapid wing beats followed by wings pulled in to sides, repeated.

● Range & Habitat: Black-faced Grassquit: Native to the West Indies, rarely seen in sountern Florida and those sightings may be escaped caged birds. Perfers open areas of grasses, scrub and fields.

^BreedingMonogamous, Small colonies

^PopulationCommon in range, Accidental in North America

^MigrationNonmigratory

^Weight0.3 Ounces

Breast

The upper front part of a bird.

4 and 6 letter alpha codes

The four letter common name alpha code is is derived from the first two letters of the common first name and the first two letters of common last name. The six letter species name alpha code is derived from the first three letters of the scientific name (genus) and the first three letters of the scientific name (species). See (1) below for the rules used to create the codes..

Four-letter (for English common names) and six-letter (for scientific names) species alpha codes were developed by Pyle and DeSante (2003, North American Bird-Bander 28:64-79) to reflect A.O.U. taxonomy and nomenclature (A.O.U. 1998) as modified by Supplements 42 (Auk 117:847-858, 2000) and 43 (Auk 119:897-906, 2002). The list has been updated by Pyle and DeSante to reflect changes reported by the A.O.U from 2003 through 2006.

Field Guide to Birds of North America