Bird Album
Blue-black Grassquit
Volatinia jacarina (Linnaeus, 1766)
8.7–11 cmLength9.9 gWeight
The blue-black grassquit (Volatinia jacarina) is a small Neotropical bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies.
Busiest months: January–March and October–November · Most records: Colombia, Costa Rica, Belize
Where and when it's recorded
Busiest months: January–March and October–November · Most records: Colombia, Costa Rica, Belize
Blue-black Grassquit has been recorded at 966 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 25 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Ammo Dump PondsPanama3,033 records
- Black Rock LodgeBelize2,990 records
- MEX - Veracruz- MInatitlan - Pantano de Santa AlejandrinMexico2,713 records
More places
- Zamorano Univ. – Campus Farms and River 740-815 maslHonduras1,872 records
- Chichicaxtle – Observatorio de Aves Rapaces Dr. Mario A. RamosMexico1,352 records
- Cattle Landing – waterfrontBelize1,216 records
- Ciudad Neily rice fields south of HospitalCosta Rica1,215 records
- Lamanai Outpost Lodge & Indian ChurchBelize1,212 records
- RN Laguna de SonsoColombia1,119 records
- Reserva San FranciscoPanama1,084 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The blue-black grassquit (Volatinia jacarina) is a small Neotropical bird in the family Thraupidae, the tanagers and allies. It is found in Mexico, every Central American country, every mainland South American country, in Trinidad and Tobago, and in Grenada.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Blue-black Grassquit?
The Blue-black Grassquit is about 8.7–11 cm long and weighs around 9.9 g.
Where does the Blue-black Grassquit live?
Its breeding range: Middle America, South America: widespread. It is most often recorded in Colombia, Costa Rica and Belize.
When is the best time to see the Blue-black Grassquit?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in January, February, March, October and November (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Blue-black Grassquit endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Blue-black Grassquit as Least Concern.
What does the Blue-black Grassquit eat?
Main food: Seeds.
What family is the Blue-black Grassquit in?
It belongs to the family Tanagers & Allies (Thraupidae), order Passerines (Passeriformes).
At a glance
- Length
- 8.7–11 cm
- Weight
- 9.9 g
- Habitat
- Towns & farmland
- Diet
- Seeds
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Resident (barely migrates)
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 48 mm
- Tail
- 43 mm
- Bill
- 10 mm
- Tarsus
- 17 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Middle America, South America: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Passerines Passeriformes
- Family
- Tanagers & Allies Thraupidae
- Genus
- Volatinia
More from the family Tanagers & Allies
PlushcapCatamblyrhynchus diadema
Coal-crested FinchCharitospiza eucosma
Brown TanagerOrchesticus abeillei
Yellow-shouldered GrosbeakParkerthraustes humeralis
Hooded TanagerNemosia pileata
Cherry-throated TanagerNemosia rourei
Blue-backed TanagerCyanicterus cyanicterus
White-capped TanagerSericossypha albocristata
Scarlet-throated TanagerCompsothraupis loricata
Black-masked FinchCoryphaspiza melanotis
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Dario Sanches. ↗
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